Save Me
by SpiritedChild
Summary: During a school trip to the Caribbean, a yacht carrying the hosts and six others crash lands in the harbors of a Southeast Asian rainforest. Marooned with just enough supplies and knowledge to survive, everyone quickly comes to resent others on the island. As relationships are both formed and broken, will Haruhi be able to find a new reason to cope? Haruhi/Kyoya & other pairings.
1. Chapter 1

_**HELLO READERS! HERE'S ANOTHER OHSHC FANFICTION FOR YOU TO ENJOY! IT'S GOT A CASTAWAY KIND OF THEME, INVOLVING THE HOSTS AND SIX OTHERS BEING TRAPPED ON A TROPICAL ISLAND WHEN THEIR YACHT GETS CAUGHT IN A STORM AND CRASHES. AT FIRST, THINGS SEEM TO WORK OUT, BUT WHEN NO ONE SEEMS TO BE COMING TO THEIR RESCUE, THINGS GET CHAOTIC.**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OHSHC IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. ENJOY!**_

_**I'VE INVENTED FIVE REGULAR GUESTS PLUS THE BOYFRIEND OF ONE OF THE GUESTS FOR THIS STORY. NONE OF THEM ARE BASED OFF OF ANY PERSONS LIVING OR DEAD.**_

_**PAIRINGS: KYOYA/HARUHI, ONESIDED OC/KYOYA, ONESIDED OC/HARUHI, ONESIDED TAMAKI/HARUHI AND, OF COURSE, OCCASIONAL HINTED TWINCEST.**_

**Chapter 1**

Haruhi's POV:

"Come on, guys! This is stupid!" I yelled while trying to fight my way out of the grip of Hikaru. He was currently keeping me in place while Kaoru walked through row after row of swimsuits, trying to select a few that he liked best.

"It's not stupid, Haruhi." Hikaru said simply. "You need a wardrobe for the trip. What do you think you're gonna wear when it's that hot outside? Jeans?"

"But the whole school will be there." I tried to explain before throwing my weight against his arms. "What if I'm recognized?"

"The host club will not be on the same ship as the other students." Kyoya senpai said from across the room. He was currently sitting casually at one of the tables by the window, his laptop before him and his glasses hiding his expression. "I've made arrangements to borrow one of my family's yachts. It'll be fully stocked and waiting for us at the dock on the day of the trip."

I raised an eyebrow. A whole yacht just for the host club and me? Wow. "Oh. That doesn't mean I want to wear a bunch of girly junk."

Finally making his appearance in the club room, Tamaki senpai approached the group with a look of single-minded determination. "Guys, I have an announcement! We are going to hold a drawing!"

"And what kind of drawing will this be?" Kyoya senpai asked with a sigh. It's Kyoya senpai's responsibility to handle much of the detail as it pertains to the club. Since that means that he handles quite a bit, he's gotten into the habit of documenting just about everything we all do as a group. At least that's what I've gathered from his little rants when the budget runs out and Tamaki senpai keeps spending.

"We have a drawing that gives five lucky girls passage aboard the yacht with us! It'll be great publicity for the club. What do you think, Kyoya?"

"It means that Haruhi will have to conceal her gender for the trip but other than that, it shouldn't present a problem. The yacht has seven passenger rooms not counting the cook and maid quarters. If all of us except for Haruhi share and the winners agree to share, we can do the drawing as soon as tomorrow. That also means one winner will get a room to herself. Should there also be a side drawing for which girl gets her own suite? I can save one of the better rooms for it."

Tamaki nodded quickly, his golden retriever qualities coming out. "This trip is gonna be great!"

"Hikaru, let me go!" I finally screamed, getting tired of practically getting strangled. Letting the heel of my men's dress shoe come down on his foot, I waited for his grip to loosen before wiggling loose and running for Honey senpai and Mori senpai's cake table. Thankfully, Mori senpai turned slightly in his seat and put an alert eye on the twins. It was his silent way of offering his assistance if either twin tried anything.

"Why don't we call it a day?" Kyoya asked after a moment. It sounded like a question but anyone could tell by his tone that it wasn't negotiable. Shutting his laptop, he put it in his school bag and stood up. "The trip is in two days. We all need to pack and prepare for tomorrow's club meeting."

"But what about ice cream?" Tamaki asked, his puppy-like eyes shimmering with possible tears. "You promised you'd go with us for ice cream!"

With slight irritation in his eyes, Kyoya looked out the window quickly before turning back to Tamaki. "I can spare an hour. No more than that."

"Yes!" Tamaki cheered. "Ice cream's on me this time."

Half an hour later, everyone was piled around a table at the nearest ice cream parlor, each with their own treat. Kyoya, never a lover of sweets, had opted for vanilla, the plainest flavor that the place had to offer. Honey senpai was eating his banana split so fast that he wasn't even noticing every time Kyoya dropped a spoonful of his own ice cream into the bowl.

"What's the island in the Caribbean that we're heading for?" I asked after returning my attentions to my own strawberry topped ice cream.

"Saint Martin Island. It's the smallest known island in the world and is divided in half by the Dutch and the French." Kyoya senpai answered as he dropped his last bite into Honey senpai's bowl. Bringing out his phone, he typed something on it. "It says here that there's a possibility of a storm hitting the path we're taking on the trip. It doesn't look too threatening. Just in case, I'll inform the school and look further into it."

"You mean the trip might get canceled?" Honey senpai nearly screamed, his big brown eyes getting teary. When Tamaki joined in on the worry fest, I had to roll my eyes.

"You guys are filthy stinking rich. Even if it gets canceled, you can wait for spring break and go on your own."

"Yeah, I guess." Honey senpai sighed. When the waitress of the parlor put another banana split in front of him, his worries vanished.

"Not necessarily." Kyoya said, his phone still in hand. "The voyage is over eight thousand nautical miles to and the same back. That's not counting the week we'll be on the island. That's an estimated time of over ten and a half days for the cruise ship to arrive. Even on our yacht, which is faster, that will only cut the trip down by a little more than two days."

"So this entire trip is gonna take about a month? I thought it was only three weeks...Great...I gotta get going." I said after finishing the final bite of my ice cream, grabbing my book bag, I waved and hurried outside before anyone could convince me to stay longer. They may have servants to pack for them but it'll take me quite a while to figure out what I wanna bring on on a trip that lasts that long. I don't even think I own enough clothes.

When I arrived home, I unlocked the apartment door and put my book bag on the table. Locking it up, I was just about to get right to packing when a noise from inside my room made my hand freeze on the sliding door's handle. "...Who's in there?"

"It's me!" My father shouted in a sing-songy voice. Opening the door, I found, to my dismay, that he was shoving as many girly outfits as possible into a fancy pink suitcase. Holding up an extremely frilly dress of different shades of pink, his smile couldn't be any bigger. "What do you think?"

"I think you're gonna get me caught, dad. Tamaki senpai offered a drawing that lets five other girls use the same boat as the host club. I need to pack boy clothes." I told him, putting emphasis on the word 'boy'.

The smile on his pink painted lips dropped so fast, you'd think his lips would pop off. "Oh...I see..."

"Aw, dad. Don't worry. I'll still have fun." I tried to assure him.

"But what am I going to do for a whole month?" He whined. "I'll have to think of my beloved Haruhi all alone on an island with a bunch of handsome young men and not a stitch of acceptable clothing to wear. What if you get asked out on a date? What do you plan on wearing, a tux? Out of the question! I'm packing at least three pretty dresses and there's nothing you can do about it."

Rolling my eyes, I opened my drawers and tried to busy myself with packing a variation of camisoles, bras, panties and boxers. When I had enough for the whole month, which basically included every single pair I owned, even a few of the frillier ones, I drug an old green suitcase from under the bed and put them in it. "Dad, I don't know if I have enough boy's clothes for this trip. My jeans and shorts can be worn more than once but what if I stain my shirts?"

"Got it covered." Dad said with a strange little grin. Prancing from the room in his little sundress, I wondered what he had up his sleeve. Packing what pants and shirts I did have, I was just shoving a ton of socks in the bag when dad came back in. "Your extra shirts will be arriving in an hour or two."

I raised an eyebrow. "Where are they coming from?"

"Oh, nowhere." He couldn't manage to finish both words without giggling. "Now hurry and finish packing what you can. I'll get you another suitcase."

As promised, a knock at the door came an hour later. Putting the last pair of shoes I'd need in the green suitcase, I snapped it shut and opened the brown suitcase before going to see who was at the door. Dad was already there, talking to someone at the door. Walking out of my room, I went to stand behind my father and peek over his shoulder. The person standing there was a complete surprise. It was a man I had never met before. He was dressed in a nice suit and was wearing a driver's cap.

"Here they are, as requested. Have a good day, Madame Fujioka." The man said before bowing his head and walking off. In dad's hands were three large boxes usually used to store designer dresses. They were made of a red tinted wood and lacquered for a shiny finish.

"Did you hear that, Haruhi?" Dad asked after shutting the door and turning to face me. He must have known I was there already because he didn't look startled. "He called me Madame."

"You do look like a girl." I told him, which was very much a compliment for him.

He looked completely blissful as he flitted into my room with the boxes. Following after, I saw him place the boxes on my bed and lift the lid of the first one. Inside it was about ten random t-shirts and polo shirts folded into little rolls, like newspapers. "And now you have shirts."

"Where did you get these?" I asked before unrolling one and looking at it. It was a white t-shirt with the words Ouran Academy written on it.

"From a friend of the family." He said coyly. Finally getting a little tired of the secrecy, I rolled the shirt back up sloppily and put it back in the box.

"Really, dad. Who are these from?"

He frowned. "Fine. They're from that fine gentleman in your club. Kyoya. You're aware that he's been keeping me up to date on everything. I just made a little call and he sent some of his hand-me-downs."

My eyes went as wide as they could possibly go. "What?! You actually asked him for his old clothes?!"

"Haruhi, relax! It's a great way to catch his attention. He'll see you wearing one of his shirts and think of all the fond memories he had in the shirt and it'll make him smile."

"Fond memory, you mean. He's probably only worn this shirt once." I corrected, feeling exasperated. I can not believe dad did this. "And Kyoya senpai doesn't smile, he smirks. Sometimes."

Dad rolled his eyes before picking up all the rolled up shirts and putting them in the empty new suitcase. Placing the now empty box aside, he pulled off the lid of the next one to reveal one shirt, all smoothed out and held in place with pins. It was the shirt that they had been selling all month at school, in honor of the trip. It read 'Ouran Academy sails the Caribbean'.

"Well, isn't that nice!" Dad exclaimed. "Didn't you say they were selling these shirts for two thousand yen each?"

"Yeah but they sold out. I wonder how he got a spare one." Checking the size, I was a little surprised to see it was a petite small. It's as if Kyoya had got this shirt specifically for me.

"Make sure to wear this on Saturday, when you leave." Dad ordered before unpinning the shirt and putting it on a hanger. Placing the hanger on the display hook on my wall, he placed that empty box aside and opened the last one as well.

Both of us gawked as dad removed it from the box and held it up. It was a mossy green gypsy sundress made of a soft stretchy material. The hemming across the bust and across the back were crocheted and beading was sewn in periodically over the front. The skirt of the dress was sewn so that it looked as if it were six different sections put together. The entire hem of the skirt had about three inches of lace. It was girly enough to please dad and vintage enough that I would enjoy wearing it.

"Haruhi, how pretty! All of those boys in the host club are always giving you frilly pink dresses. This is the first one Kyoya has given you. Would you wear it?"

Running my fingers along it, I took it from dad and held it up to me. "I just might."

"Try it on, try it on!" He practically demanded.

"Please, dad. Let's just pack it. I'm tired and I need to make dinner." I begged.

"Very well." He mumbled. "I need to get ready for work anyway. I've asked off for the day of your departure. I wanna be on that dock, waving you off."

"Thanks, dad." I smiled. Admiring the mossy green dress one more time, I put it in the brown suitcase and snapped it shut.

At dinner, dad was all over the place, trying to make sure I had everything I needed. "And don't forget to find your passport. I think it's in my bedside drawer. You'll want your driver's license as well just in case they want to see that."

"I won't forget." I assured him before taking another bite of rice with pickled plum and beef stirred in.

Later that night, after dad had left for work, I finished up the dishes and located my passport. It was almost difficult for me to fathom that I would be on international waters thirty-six hours from now. When everything was packed except for the outfit I was supposed to wear for the first day of the trip, I washed up, brushed my teeth and went right to bed. By the end of the club meeting tomorrow, I'd know which girls would be on the yacht with the host club. I hope none of them are my customers. I'd rather have some peace and quiet on the trip.

The next morning, I quickly prepared for school and hurried to the kitchenette. When I had packed some of last night's leftovers in my bento box, I put it in my school bag and hurried out the door. On the walk to Ouran Academy, I wondered if it would be in my best interest to thank Kyoya senpai. If I did, it might knock off some of my debt. He was good about choosing irrelevant times to cut my debt down. If he didn't want any credit for it, it might make him angry though...

My questions seemed to almost answer themselves when I entered Ouran grounds and found Kyoya senpai himself walking towards the doors to the high school. Not really thinking my reaction through, I hurried until I was walking beside him. "Kyoya senpai."

He glanced my way briefly. "Haruhi. What is it?"

"I wanted to thank you for the shirts and the dress." I said quickly.

He didn't seem upset that I had thank him, just maybe a little bit surprised. "Your father requested it and I had not use for any of the shirts. The dress was actually something that I picked up last time I spoke with your father."

"Why?" I asked, unable to help myself.

"He explained that I was the only host who hadn't given you one." He told me with a shrug of the shoulders. "I'm not one to be public about such acts. Try to refrain from sharing the news with the other hosts."

Raising an eyebrow, I nodded. "Uh, sure. No problem."

Walking inside with him, I paused in the foyer. He was walking towards the stairs that led to the club room. Figuring it was the best use of time until everyone else arrived at school, I hurried after him. Every few days, I would do my leftover homework in the club room. It was always peaceful there, even if Kyoya senpai was present. He was so quiet, you'd think he wasn't even there except for the clicking of his computer keys. At the club room doors, he paused and took a golden key from his pocket. Unlocking the doors, he pocketed the key once more and walked inside. Following, I turned on a few lights.

"Shut the door." Was his only response. Doing as he said, I went to sit at one of the window seats near his table. The silence was a little awkward as he took his laptop out and started it up. Twiddling my thumbs, I bit my lip and blew air out through my nose.

"So...What's the news on weather for the trip?"

"He looked up at me only momentarily. "It seems as if the storm will stay. The cruise ship will pass through the storm just fine and the yacht should, since it's a small storm. Just in case, I'm having a helicopter on call. In the event that the weather is too violent, it will take us to safety."

I nodded and brought out the book we were currently reading in Literature class. The entire class had finished reading it already but I liked it so much that I was starting it over. "This school is weird."

"Why do you say that?" He asked after a minute.

Looking up at his expectant expression, I shrugged. "Normal schools don't take trips this luxurious. During special times of year, there might be a planned trip to a local museum but never any more than that. A month long trip that includes a cruise and staying in the Caribbean is really big for me."

He seemed thoughtful for a moment before returning to his computer screen. For the next several minutes, I read while the tapping of his fingers on the keys filled the silence. When the twins finally arrived, I was almost grateful. Too much silence sometimes scared me. Especially if it involved Kyoya. The slightest noise could annoy him into adding onto my debt.

"Haruhi! You're here!" Both twins shouted before hurrying across the room. Standing before me, they both seemed to be carrying some kind of white cloth in hand. Holding it up, they presented a large banner that announced the drawing for passage aboard the host club's yacht. "Help us hang this outside the club room!"

Sighing, I followed them out and walked up the ladder as they steadied it, taking the nails, I hammered it in place on both sides and stepped down. It was a good place to hang it since most of the club's guests tended to walk this way at several points during the day to see if they could catch a glimpse of their favorite host.

"Looks good, guys. Did you make it?" I asked. It looked as if each letter had been crocheted on the cloth.

"Yes, we did." Hikaru said boastfully. "Kaoru and I are really fast at crocheting."

"Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi!" Someone shouted. Turning, I saw that it was one of the twin's guests. She had light brown, almost fawn-like hair and dark brown eyes. She had a small group of followers as they headed over to read the banner. "Oh! A drawing? That would be wonderful!"

One of the followers, a boy with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes, glanced at the banner before giving the girl who had spoke a worried look. All but ignoring the silence exchange, I listened as Hikaru explained that the drawing would take place at the very end of the club meeting after school.

"And don't forget." Kaoru said smoothly. "All students must be present at the dock for head count by six in the morning."

One of the other girls in the group tsked. "Why do they always make us get up so early for trips. I don't even have to wake up till seven-thirty on school days and that still gives me an hour of getting ready and half an hour more to get to school."

"You are right, mademoiselle." Tamaki senpai whispered in her ear, startling her. It even startled me. I hadn't seen him show up. "It should be a crime to take away from a young lady's beauty sleep. Not that any of you need it. You're all flawless."

All the girls swooned, except for the girl that Tamaki whispered to. She must be another host's devoted guest. The fawn haired girl swooning seemed to anger the boy by the lead girl. As if to assert his dominance, he put a protective arm around her. "We should get to class, Kojika."

"In a minute." She told him distractedly before swooning all over again. Tamaki senpai was now talking directly to her.

"Ladies, I was thinking about this afternoon's drawing and it would make me very happy if you five were the ones to be selected. But alas, it is up to fate. She can be such a cruel mistress."

Four of the girls nodded, their hands clasped together and their eyes shimmering. "We'll all enter the drawing."

Seeing as I was no longer in danger of having to talk to anyone, I crept back in the club room and went to get my bag. Glancing at Kyoya, I walked past him. "See you at the meeting."

"Try to be a few minutes early. We're all wearing costumes and you need time to change."

I sighed. "I'll try my best."

Leaving the room, I snuck by the chatting group and went straight to class.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Haruhi's POV:

Before I knew it, Saturday arrived and I found myself standing before the yacht that would take me from Japan and to the Caribbean. About a hundred yards to the left was the massive cruise ship that would take all but the host club and the five selected guests on the trip. Tamaki senpai, decked out in an extremely flashy yellow tourist shirt, bounced from one foot to another.

"I can't believe I'm taking this trip with you, Haruhi. It's like our first big daddy-daughter trip."

I rolled my eyes. "I've tried explaining that I'm not your daughter but it seems to go in one ear and out the other, so..."

"There you are." Kyoya senpai said, suddenly appearing behind Tamaki senpai and I. Trailing behind him was the twins, Honey senpai and Mori senpai. "Have our guests arrived?"

"They're late." I said simply. The five that had been selected yesterday were Kojika Hisakawa, Yumi Kimura, Korin Tanaka, Rin Yamada and Mina Akiyama. I didn't even recognize the names of any of the girls except Kojika. She was the one that had the jealous boy with the dark brown hair with her yesterday.

"We're here! Don't leave without us!" Someone in the crowd yelled. A moment later, Kojika Hisakawa appeared with two of the other girls holding on to her. Kyoya senpai brought out his black notebook.

"Okay, that means we're only waiting for Miss. Tanaka and Miss. Yamada."

"Present!" A girl with very long black hair called before making her way into view. "Korin said she'd meet us here after she finishes talking to her boyfriend."

Kyoya senpai sighed. "We're scheduled to leave in half an hour. She should hurry."

No sooner did Kyoya senpai finish speaking did a girl with freckles and bobbed brown hair show up. "I'm here, I'm here!"

"Are we ready, ladies?" Tamaki senpai cooed before putting an arm around two of the girl's shoulders. With them practically melting in his arms, we all boarded the yacht.

"Feel that breeze?" I whispered contentedly. The S.S. Ootori 4 had set sail right away with a favorable wind. Japan was behind us and what lied beyond was both foreign and mysterious.

"Yeah, feels great." Hikaru mumbled, his cell phone in hand. Looking over his shoulder, I saw that he was, playing a game on it. In fact, I was probably the only one enjoying the view. Hikaru and Kaoru both were using their phones, Kyoya senpai was on his laptop at one of the on deck tables, Honey senpai and Mori senpai were in the dining hall with Yumi Kimura, Tamaki senpai was off giving a tour of the captain's control room to Kojika Hisakawa and Mina Akiyama and the rest of the guests were in their rooms, stricken with sea sickness. I guess nobody really kept that in mind when opting for the smaller sea vestel.

"You guys are all the most boring people ever." I said just loud enough to get the attention of the twins and Kyoya senpai. "Here we are sailing the North Pacific and you haven't even looked up for all your electronics."

Hikaru and Kaoru both shrugged. "We're used to things like this. Usually we'd take a plane to the Caribbean. The only reason we aren't is because the school's rules for this trip is that we go by boat. We almost were forced to use the cruise ship with everyone else."

Rolling my eyes, I decided to try being a little brave and swiped the phones from the twins. "You'll get these back in an hour. Use that time to actually take in your surroundings."

"Hey! Give those back!" They both yelled simultaneously. Quickly pocketing the devices, I took a quick step back, out of their grasp.

"One hour and I'll give them back, guys. Try to enjoy this trip for what it is."

Hikaru practically growled in frustration. "Fine! I'm going to the dining hall!"

"Hikaru, come on. She's just trying to help." Kaoru whispered to his brother as he followed after him.

Realizing that it was a pointless effort taking their phones, I leaned against the railing and focused on the waves. I glanced over briefly at Kyoya senpai but one dark look from him told me that I'd probably regret trying to take his laptop, especially if it somehow was damaged while in my possession.

"If you're looking for something to do, there's a recreation room bellow deck." Kyoya senpai told me after about five minutes of silence.

"I should give them their phones back, shouldn't I?"

He didn't even stop typing. "It might be a good idea."

Heaving away from the railing, I hurried to the dining hall. There, I found Hikaru and Kaoru sitting at their own table in the corner. Judging by their posture, Kaoru was feeling a little tense and Hikaru was just plain pissed off.

Walking up to their table sheepishly, I pulled out their phones and placed them on the table. "Hey, guys. Sorry about earlier. It wasn't right to just take your phones."

Swiping his phone off the table, Hikaru stood up and stormed off. Wide eyed, I stared after him until he was out of sight. "Don't worry about it, Haruhi. We both know you meant well."

Sitting in Hikaru's vacant seat, I noticed that Kaoru wasn't tense, but worried. "What is it?"

"Hikaru's been short tempered lately. You know how our mom designs clothing for models and owns her own clothing line?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, our dad also owns a modeling agency. It's how mom is able to do all the designing for the shows. Our mom outright determined that Hikaru and I are going to take over for her and run her clothing store chain and designing company. When our dad was asked about his plans, he told us that we both needed to learn to separate from eachother and prove which one of us deserved his company. He's trying to pit Hikaru and I against eachother and Hikaru hates it."

"How do you feel about it?" I asked.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm as mad about it as Hikaru is. I understand him wanting Hikaru and I to find our own individuality, though. It's something that's been on my mind for a while."

I nodded. "It'll happen in its own time. I'm not a twin but I've heard of the bond between them and how strong it is."

"Oh my...Look at this order!" Someone in the dining hall's kitchen exclaimed. "Three bottles of fizzy water, an order of uncooked shrimp, a pound of one hundred percent cocoa chocolate and enough milk to fill an entire bath tub! All for cabin four!"

"I've been informed that the girls in Cabin four both have sea sickness. I understand the fizzy water and the food requests to help relieve it but why the milk?" Another woman in the kitchen said.

Kaoru chuckled. "I think they might have the treatment for sunburns mixed up with the treatment for sea sickness."

"Look at that." I whispered as I caught sight of the storm clouds out the window by the table. I felt that familiar shiver of dread go up and down my spine. "Those look nasty."

"Kyoya's been monitoring the storm. He said it won't be that bad." Kaoru assured me. "I'm gonna go and check on Hikaru. I know you don't like storms. Why don't you go sit with Honey senpai and Mori senpai till I get back."

I smiled as convincingly as possible. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. I might go and soak up what little sun is left before it starts raining. See you on deck later. If I'm not there when you get back with Hikaru, I'm in my room."

Nodding, Kaoru left the dining hall and I went back to staring at the clouds in dismay. Tonight is going to be a really bad night, I'm almost positive. The rain began to pour down then. At first, it was a soft sprinkle that was barely noticeable. Within five, minutes, it was so heavy, Kyoya burst into the dining hall with his computer under his shirt.

"Everyone, I'm ordering that the kitchen be closed! Return to your rooms immediately!"

The cooks within the kitchen burst through a swinging door. The head chef looked perplexed. "Mr. Ootori, what do you mean?"

"I've been monitoring the storm for the past couple days and within the hour since we set sail, it's increased in magnitude with no warning. In half an hour at the most, the worst of it will be upon us. Everyone should return to their rooms for now and keep their porthole windows locked tight. If I think it's necessary, we'll go to the storm bunker at the very bottom of the yacht."

"I'll turn off the stoves." The chef said before shooing the other workers. Honey senpai and Mori senpai stood up quickly.

"Should Takashi and I warn Hika chan and Kao chan?" Honey senpai asked, his stuffed rabbit in his arms.

"Yes, thank you. Haruhi?" Kyoya called to me, drawing my attention away from the pouring rain.

"Yeah?"

"Please go to cabin four and warn the girls that they should stay put until the storm passes. Oh, and try not to alarm them. Everything should be alright."

Nodding, I quickly left the dining hall and hurried down the hallway that led to the passenger cabins. Stopping at cabin four, I knocked quickly. At first, there was no response. Finally, a weak little voice asked who was there.

"It's Haruhi Fujioka. May I come in? I'm delivering news about the storm."

"You can come in." A slightly stronger voice called.

Opening the door cautiously, I just poked my head in. Even if I was a girl, they didn't know that. Having a strange boy enter their cabin would probably make them cautious. Both girls, Korin and Rin, were laying on their beds, their heads propped up by several pillows. The girl with long black hair, Rin I think, sat up slowly and I bowed my head.

"I'm sorry to intrude. Kyoya senpai wants me to tell you that a storm is coming and that you both should remain in your rooms. It shouldn't be too bad a storm so please don't worry."

Rin nodded and Korin did little more than turn her head. Judging by the beads of sweat on her face and neck, I guessed that the sea sickness must have been terrible for her. Rin seemed to either not be experiencing it as bad or was doing much better because she had it in her to smile. "Thank you, Haruhi. We'll stay put."

"Kyoya senpai also said that if it were to get worse, we could all head down to the bunker. I remember hearing about it before the trip and it's able to be disconnected from the yacht like a submarine."

Rin smiled again. "Thank you, Haruhi. We'll prepare for the bunker, just in case."

Nodding again, I smiled and left the room. In the quiet hall with nothing but the rain to fill the silence, the dread returned. Hurrying to my own room, I brought out my key and unlocked the door. When safely inside, the first thing to catch my eye was the storm tossed water hitting the porthole. When the first roll of thunder was heard, I sunk to my knees and covered my head. It was pathetic but it couldn't be helped. Sometimes I felt like I was becoming a statue when the storms were at their worst.

A knock at the door nearly scared me out of my wits. Looking up at the door with wide eyes, I shakily got to my feet and opened it. I almost sighed in relief. It was the twins. Both were carrying small duffel bags. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Haruhi." They said at once. Hikaru looked to be in a much better mood. Stepping aside, I let them in. "We figured you'd be scared and want company."

"Thanks." I said gratefully. "Has Kyoya said anything about the storm getting worse?"

"Not yet. He's turned on the intercom system and is currently staying in the control room. If we need to go to the bunker, he'll announce it. For now, we need to all have an overnight bag packed for the bunker, just in case. Bring clothes and anything you wouldn't want to get damaged, like electronics. We brought you an empty bag."

Flinching when another roll of thunder sounded, I took the duffel bag Hikaru was carrying and tried my best to ignore it while I went about throwing some extra clothes in the bag. I accounted for the slight possibility that we'd have to abandon ship and packed not only enough clothes for a few days but also my cell phone and the picture of my mom that I brought on the trip. It wasn't the one that was placed on the alter at home. It was a smaller wallet sized photo put in a plastic laminated slip and sealed, just in case it got wet. Zipping the bag, I placed it on the bed and took a seat on the small loveseat shoved against the wall by the door.

"Do you two want a snack? I packed some candy for the trip." I asked after a minute. For some strange reason a very bad feeling was eating away at me. I wasn't sure what was causing it though. It was probably just the storm getting to me.

"Nah, I'm good." Hikaru said before taking a seat beside me. Kaoru followed suit. We had been sitting in companionable silence for no more than a minute when someone threw the door open without knocking. It was Tamaki senpai and he looked very pale. His violet eyes were as wide as they could go.

"There you guys are! The yacht's staff are all freaking out and it's panicking anyone that overhears. One of them can apparently see the future and claims that the ocean is going to swallow us whole. The cooks and the maid all packed their bags and went to the bunker and nothing Kyoya says will get them out."

"Couldn't we just let them stay in the bunker to keep them calm?" I recommended. "If they calm down, so will everyone else."

Tamaki senpai sighed in exasperation. "That's not the problem. They locked the bunker and won't let anyone else in. One of the maids said that she was going to open the door for us and the fortune teller cook drug her back apparently and screamed that opening the door would kill them all. I think he's gone crazy!"

"What are we supposed to do if it gets bad? Isn't there another way to open it?" Hikaru asked. To answer his question, Kyoya suddenly made an appearance. Unlike Tamaki senpai, who had barged into the room, he remained in the doorway.

"There is only one door in and out of the bunker. Its one of heavy metal doors in the ground that leads right into the submarine bunker and it's manual. The only possible way to open it after it's been locked from the inside is with dynamite and there's none aboard."

"What should we do, then?" I asked.

"If worse comes to worse, the only thing we can do is migrate to the control room until we can coax one of the people in the bunker to open it up." Kyoya said simply. "Tamaki, you're the most influential one here. Try charming the woman who claims to see the future. If that doesn't work, I'll use my own way of persuasion."

Tamaki senpai chuckled nervously. "Let's hope it doesn't come to your version of persuasion."

The quick exchange of glances between Tamaki senpai and Kyoya senpai was enough to let me know that Kyoya senpai's persuasion was something very dark. Waving goodbye to me, Tamaki senpai hurried into the hall.

"Hey, let's relax." Kaoru said after a minute. His words were casual but I could tell he was forcing a smile. "Why don't we all play a game. I packed a deck of cards in my duffel bag."

Kyoya practically growled then. The phone in his hand suddenly began to beep. "No time. We have to get to the control room. The storm is getting worse."

A louder beep was heard all around them for a moment. "Mr. Ootori, this is Captain Koe. Your assistance is needed right away."

Kyoya put his phone away. "Get your overnight bags and put as much as you possibly can in them. If this storm gets any worse, it could quite possibly sink the ship. Get everyone from their rooms."

"We already packed for that possibility." Hikaru said. "We'll warn everyone else."

Kyoya nodded. "I'll find Honey senpai and Mori senpai and let them know on my way. The door to the bunker is down a flight of stairs in the control room. I'll let Tamaki know as well."

Suddenly, everyone was separating and setting to work. My mind practically in a daze, I grabbed my bag and opened it back up. As I shoved piece after piece of clothing in it, I began to wonder if I'd ever see my father again. Was tonight my last night on Earth? Is that why I've been getting terrible feelings? When nothing else could possibly fit in the main compartment, I opened both side zippers and hurried out of my room and to the medical supply room across the hall. Grabbing an array of antibiotics and antidotes for various illnesses, I packed them inside a fully stocked first aid kit box and zipped them up.

As I was about to leave the room, I paused by a small glass case. In it, almost entirely concealed, was a bottle. Judging by its shape and size, I guessed it was brandy. Well, a bit of alcohol can put people at ease. Taking it from the cabinet, I shoved it in the kit and hurried back to my cabin. When it was packed away, I zipped everything up and left my room.

"You take forever." Hikaru and Kaoru said at the same time, startling me as I rounded the corner.

"Everyone else is in the captain's quarters." Kaoru added on his own before taking my bag from me and heading down the hall. Arriving at the glass door, he opened it and let me walk in first.

"Finally! We were worried the storm made you freeze up, Haru chan." Honey senpai said worriedly.

Walking up a set of metal stairs, Tamaki senpai looked almost annoyed. "They won't listen. The woman has everyone in there believing that the bunker will flood if it opens. She's telling them that the water is already flooding the ship and we're lying to save our own skins."

Kyoya senpai, who was currently helping keep the wheel steady while the captain tried to use the radio to contact the helicopter that was supposed to come in to help, ordered the captain back to the wheel and went down the metal steps. I shuddered, not wanting to even know how he planned to lure them out.

"The radio's signal isn't strong enough, Mr. Ootori!" The captain called. "I can't get a hold of the helicopter! What should I do?"

"I'll try." Tamaki senpai said tiredly. Pressing down on a big green button, he picked up the radio mic. "S.O.S. Come in Ootori Copter 7. Come in. This is the S.S. Ootori 4. Please come in."

Letting go of the button, all that we heard was static. He tried to call in several times more but the signal never got any better. Hikaru threw his hands in the air with frustration. "What now? We're locked out of the bunker and the radio isn't working."

"Hikaru, it's okay." Kaoru whispered before putting an arm around him. "We're gonna be okay."

Running up the stairs, Kyoya walked right up to the door and began to press in a series of numbers into a keypad. When he finished, a low groaning sound filled the room and sheets of thick metal began to cover the glass walls of the control room. Even the stairs that led to the bunker began to lower before another sheet of metal covered that hole in the floor.

"What did you do that for?" I asked.

Pulling down a monitor from the ceiling, he pressed a few buttons on the control board and showed us a picture of a massive tidal wave coming right for the back of the ship. It was a decent ways away but nonetheless threatening. "I saw an image of this on my phone. It's linked to the cameras attached around the ship. Everyone take a seat and buckle up, now."

One of the girls looked up quickly, her eyes watering. "Are we gonna die?"

"I said buckle." He ordered softly, the seriousness of the situation heard in every syllable. "Now."

Putting my bag down on the floor I hurried to one of the metal chairs mounted against the walls and strapped myself in. With Tamaki senpai on my right and Kyoya senpai on my left, I held on to the seat and closed my eyes tight. I didn't need to see the monitor to know that the wave was getting closer. The sound of it was almost becoming deafening.

"Brace yourselves." Kyoya senpai yelled.

With my teeth clamped together and my nails scratching against my chair, I pressed my head back against my seat and locked the muscles there as the wave hit the back of the ship. One of the girls screamed and I felt myself tilt to the side before slamming back down. Hikaru yelled then and cursed under his breath before telling everyone that he bit his tongue and was bleeding.

Opening my eyes slowly, I looked at the monitor. It was currently flitting between different views of the water around the ship. When the screen paused on an image of the front of the ship, I nearly fainted. In the distance, fastly approaching, was a storm so large, you couldn't see anything in that direction but it. I swallowed the spit in my mouth but it hurt going down.

"Kyoya senpai..." I whispered. "What will that do to the ship?"

Looking up at him, I saw that his eyes were as wide as mine. "I don't know..."

When a gust of wind big enough to rock the boat around a bit hit, the monitor began to get blurry with the rain hitting the camera outside. Not even a moment later, the camera stopped working I looked back to Kyoya senpai. "What happened?"

"The wind must have ripped the camera and the casing around it up."

Korin, the girl who had the most violent sea sickness, leaned down as far as the seat belt would let her and threw up before crying dramatically. "I don't want to die!"

"Calm down!" Kyoya senpai practically yelled. "We're gonna be fine. It may not be as safe as being in the bunker but this area is very solid. We're just going to have to ride out the storm. Hopefully the radio will work once it passes. Be prepared for any sort of impact."

As soon as those words left Kyoya senpai's mouth, the boat began to rock violently. I couldn't believe this was happening. "Like this?"

"Yes, exactly like this." He said through his teeth.

"It feels like we're moving, senpai." I told him. "I mean that it feels like the boat is accelerating forward."

"I know. The storm is probably rocking the boat around enough to move it in a specific direction as well."

"Haruhi, everything's gonna be alright." Tamaki senpai told me. "Daddy's here."

I didn't bother to correct him. If the imaginary knowledge that I was his daughter was enough to keep him calm I'd let him go on believing it. It became very clear since we all buckled ourselves up that I wasn't afraid of what the storm could do but of the sound of thunder and image of lightening.

"Listen." Mori senpai whispered. And we did. What we heard was not reassuring. Over the violently powerful wind, we heard a groaning sound. It was metallic, that much was a give in. Kyoya whipped his head towards where the stairs had once been.

"I know what it is." He whispered. "Someone in the bunker somehow figured out how to disconnect from the ship. Unless they figure out the extra code that turns on the submarine, they're gonna sink to the bottom of the ocean and run out of oxygen in a few hours."

"What can we do?" Kaoru asked.

A rush of water lifted the ship up in the air before slamming it violently back down. "It just finished disconnecting. There's nothing we can do now since the radio doesn't work."

I covered my mouth. "They're going to die?"

"They figured out the pass code to disconnect the submarine. If they figured that out, I'm sure they can start it too. The codes are only one digit different." Kyoya senpai told me. "I'm sure the worst of the storm has already hit."

"What do we do now then?" Honey senpai asked.

Looking all around him, Kyoya senpai looked almost lost for a moment. Finally, he let that familiar gleam hit his glasses and shield his expression. "Now...We wait."


	3. Chapter 3

**HOPE YOU'VE BEEN ENJOYING THE STORY SO FAR. :) I CAN'T WAIT TO READ ANY REVIEWS YOU MIGHT POST.**

**I'LL UPDATE AS OFTEN AS I CAN BUT MOST OF MY TIME WILL BE SPENT WORKING. SORRY ABOUT THAT.**

**Chapter 3**

Haruhi's POV:

"_What do we do now then?" Honey senpai asked._

_Looking all around him, Kyoya senpai looked almost lost for a moment. Finally, he let that familiar gleam hit his glasses and shield his expression. "Now...We wait."_

And we did. We waited for hours. It might have as few as five, it might have been as many as twelve. I couldn't focus on anything with the boat rocking the way it was, even the matter of passing time. I didn't even know what time of day it was since all the windows were covered in metal. When so much silent time had passed that I thought I was gonna go insane, Honey senpai broke the silence.

"Takashi, when can we get up? I need to go the

bathroom."

To my relief, everyone in the cabin either cracked a slight smile or laughed. Taking a deep breath, I tried to let my relief that we were all alive override my fear that we might be stuck at sea for quite a while. I turned to Kyoya senpai. "Do you think it's safe to unbuckle? The yacht stopped shaking around."

"Maybe..."

"Allow me to unbuckle first and take us off lock down." The captain said. Unbuckling his seat belt, he went to the dial pad and pressed the same series of numbers Kyoya pressed before. The groaning sound filled the room again as the metal sheets slid to the side and out of view.

When my eyes adjusted to the blinding light of day, I looked all around and gasped. The water was much bluer and a little clearer. Since we were bound to be in the same sea, my only guess is that we were closer to land. "Where are we?"

"I don't know." The captain murmured before going straight to the radio and trying to work it. "S.O.S. Come in. Does anybody read? This is the S.S. Ootori four requesting-"

The captain's words were cut short when the yacht seemed to violently hit against something. While everyone buckled was saved from injury by their seat belts, the captain was thrown right into the already broken glass of the door and broke right through the rest of it. Even in my current state of shock, I noticed that the boat was considerably stiller.

"Captain, are you alright?" Kyoya senpai called. Quickly unbuckling he hurried to the door and unlocked it before stepping out. "Man overboard!"

Everyone quickly unbuckled and hurried to where Kyoya was standing at the side of the boat. Looking over the railing, I saw the ripples in the water from where the captain hit. Without hesitation, Mori senpai dove into the water. When Honey senpai tried to dive in after him, I held him back.

"But Takashi! What if he gets hurt?" He wailed.

"If you dive in now, you might hit Mori senpai and hurt him. He's too far down to see." I explained which caused Honey senpai to finally calm down. We all watched the water in anticipation as bubbles began to appear. Finally, Mori senpai burst through the water's surface.

"I can't find him. I'll try again." He called before diving back in the water. As my eyes scanned the water surrounding the ship, something in the distance caught my eye and all but took the thought of the drowning man from my mind. There was no mistaking it.

"Land!" I screamed which effectively got everyone's attention. The island rose from the sea like a giant, cliffs curving around in a crescent shape. "Do you think there are other people on it?"

Kyoya senpai looked grim. "Judging by how perfectly clean the water is, I'm guessing not."

Mori senpai appeared again and coughed a little. "I can't find him."

"There's nothing more we can do. Come out of the water before you get sick." Tamaki senpai told him.

"The water is very warm." Mori senpai replied. "Much warmer than the water in Japan's harbors this time of year."

"What are we gonna do about the captain?" Kojika yelled. "He's-"

"Most likely dead..." Kyoya senpai whispered. "He hit his head very hard and was most likely carried somewhere by the current. The likelihood of us finding him are slim enough."

"He's bound to have run out of oxygen." I added, a hand over my mouth. I couldn't believe this was really happening.

Kyoya glanced at the back end of the boat and then to the island in the distance. I guessed it was anywhere from a hundred to a hundred and fifty feet away. "Mori senpai, could you swim to the back of the boat and tell me what the damage is?"

Nodding, Mori senpai took off, swimming almost as fast as a fish. A few minutes later, he swam back and used the bottom rung of the railing to lift himself up before climbing back on to the ship. "There's a hole about a foot across in the back of the ship and water is pouring in. If water keeps getting in to it, it'll sink us."

"What?!" Someone screamed. Blinking a couple times, I realized it wasn't anyone in view.

Looking all around me, I noticed the perplexed looks of everyone else. Everyone except for Kojika, that is. She looked absolutely shocked. "Kin? Is that you?"

The door leading to the cabins suddenly opened and the dark brown haired boy that had been clinging to Kojika yesterday made his appearance. He looked a little pale and there seemed to be a slight cut on his arm but otherwise, he looked unharmed. Kyoya senpai, always one to keep situations under control, stepped forward. "What is your name and what are you doing aboard my vessel."

He seemed to get slightly annoyed for a moment before calming down and deciding to look sheepish. "I'm Kin Akagi and Kojika is my girlfriend. When she said she'd been selected to take the trip on the host club's yacht I stowed away in one of the supply closets. I was gonna let her know I was here as soon as it got dark but when the storm hit-"

Kyoya sighed. "I've heard enough. Is there anyone else aboard?"

Kin shook his head. "No, I came alone."

"Fine then. It's time to get to work, everyone."

"Work?" The twins asked.

"There's a hole in the ship. That means we need to get the rafts from bellow deck and get to that island before it sinks. Hopefully we have long enough to get some supplies there too. Everyone get your overnight bags and pack them as full of clothes as you can then put them at the back of the ship. Tamaki, will you help Mori senpai get the rafts?"

The confused and sad look left Tamaki senpai's face and was replaced with one of determination. Nodding, he followed Mori senpai bellow deck. Giving a quick glance to both Hikaru and Kaoru, I walked back in to the control room and grabbed my bag. Kyoya senpai chose that time to try the radio again and see what functions worked still. As I was leaning back up, the girl I think is named Rin grabbed my arm. She looked absolutely terrified as tears ran down her face.

"Haruhi, I can't live on an island. I just can't! What will we eat? What will I wear?"

I tried giving her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, miss. We'll all be alright. Kyoya senpai is gonna try to radio the helicopter that will rescue us."

"No, apparently I'm not." Kyoya senpai seethed. "It's broken and I'm almost sure that the storm took off with the antenna."

Every single girl, other than me, began to either cry or wail. The loudest of it was curtsey of Korin Tanaka."

"Calm down!" Kyoya senpai yelled, shocking them all into silence. When he was sure they weren't going to start up again, he adjusted his glasses. "We've got to keep calm if we're going to survive. I've packed enough non-perishable food items to last us in the event of any emergency and there's also about twelve tents in the hold in the event we decided to camp out while on St. Martin Island. We'll not want for food or shelter. Now get your bags, pack them full and go to the back of the yacht."

Nodding silently, each girl did as instructed and I and the twins followed after. When I had as much of my clothing and shoes as possible in the bag, I hurried back to the group and stood by the twins. Hikaru looked to Kaoru. "How does Kyoya think we're going to get rescued? Start a fire?"

"What other options do we have? The storm probably knocked us way off track. We'll just have to wait for our or someone else's family to send out a search party this way. I bet we'll be here no more than a night."

Kaoru's words reassured me. I guess there were much worse people to be stuck on an island with. These were my friends and a few other people I could stand to be around and each and every one of them had rich families that could afford to look until we were found. But wait...that's not taking into account...

"Let's get this show on the road." Hikaru announced, cutting off my train of thought.

Placing my bag on the yacht's floor. I stood back while Mori senpai and Tamaki senpai carried folded up rafts and oars from the hold. A moment later, Honey senpai also arrived. In his arms were a bunch of life preservers which he handed to everyone as the rafts were inflated. Thankfully they were the type that you just needed to pull a handle and they automatically inflated.

When everyone had on a life preserver and had their bag in hand, the strongest of the boys, Mori senpai and Honey senpai, helped each girl over the railing and in to the raft. As I was helped on next, I finally caught sight of the hole. It was even worse than I thought. At this rate, the yacht would sink in anywhere from two to three hours. I hoped we had the time to get all the supplies. To assure that each of the three rafts made it to the island without a panicked passenger sinking it, Kyoya ordered that Mori senpai and Honey senpai row the one that contained four of the girls. Kojika and her boyfriend were in the one that the twins were rowing and Tamaki and Kyoya were rowing the one I was in.

"It looks like a really big island." Tamaki senpai whispered as we got closer. "What kinds of dangerous animals do you think are on it?"

"I don't know. This area looks very tropical so what animals are indigenous to tropical areas?" I asked and Kyoya senpai had the answer.

"Primates mostly. Possibly some more dangerous animals like tigers. If we're lucky, we'll make camp in a more deserted part of the island."

Kyoya senpai?" I whispered, getting his attention and Tamaki senpai's.

"Yes, Haruhi?"

"You don't really believe we'll be rescued in a single night, do you?"

He looked shocked. "What makes you say that?"

"Because we never successfully made contact with that helicopter and we're not due at St. Martin for another seven days. It's gonna be a week before they even realize we're gone. Everyone already knew that being in the middle of the ocean would make it difficult to make phone calls. With the antennae on the ship broken, there's no way we can anymore. Unless some random passing ship sees our signal fire..."

I trailed off and Kyoya seemed to smile darkly. "You're more clever than I thought. You'd be correct. The chances of us being rescued before the week is out are very slim. Do not make this known to any of the girls. In fact, just keep it to yourself. I'll inform the other hosts."

I nodded and so did Tamaki senpai. "Alright..."

When the first of the rafts made it to the island, it's as if it all suddenly became real to me. When the raft I was in made it, I quickly exited and jumped on to the sand with my bag in hand. I was in awe of the lightly swaying trees and the untouched sand near the beautifully blue water. Placing my bag down with everyone else's, Kyoya senpai started drafting boys to return to the yacht and get supplies.

"Hikaru and Kaoru, take your raft and get the tents out of the hold. Also pile blankets, pillows and any sort of bedding you can. These are strong and sturdy rafts so you should be able to fit quite a bit. Mori senpai and Honey senpai, you get the boxed food and any of the bread you can. I'll go back with Mr. Akagi for the canned food, lighter fluid and one of the barrels of gasoline. I can tie it to my raft and let it float back to the island."

"Why gasoline?" Korin asked.

"It will help us start a signal fire big enough to catch someone's attention." He said simply before heading for his raft. With himself and Kin Akagi in it, he paused. "Oh and Tamaki and Haruhi...Do not leave these girls' side. Keep them happy, keep them calm and do not let anyone make loud noises. Until we have an idea of who or what we're sharing this island with, we must stay quiet."

As all three rafts left the island, Tamaki senpai twirled around and gave sexy looks to all the girls. "Mademoiselles. I find myself here, trapped on this beautiful paradise, with none other than you, who are each exquisite. What will we make of our time here?"

Kojika, Kin's girlfriend, nearly fainted in delight. "That's right. We're on a tropical paradise with you, Tamaki."

This seemed to put all the girls in a good mood. With them sufficiently distracted, I decided to look at my surroundings and see if I could figure out what was of use. On the ground beneath one of the trees were little brown orbs. "Coconuts."

"Huh?" Rin asked. "Did you say something, Haruhi."

"There's coconuts on this island." Running up to one of the trees, I grabbed one and carried it back to the group.

One of the girls, Yumi I think, took it. "I've never held a whole coconut before. I didn't know it was hairy."

Spotting a sharp looking rock on the ground, I picked it up and took the coconut before balancing it on the ground. Positioning the sharp part of the rock on the coconut, I took a larger rock and used it to beat a hole into the side of the coconut. After a few tries, I succeeded. Proud of myself, I handed it to Tamaki senpai, who looked fascinated.

"Why did you put a hole in it?" He asked before peeking inside it.

"It's got coconut milk in it. Try some." I told him.

Looking almost skeptical, he took one look at all the expectant girls around him and blushed before lifting the coconut to his lips and pouring its contents in. There wasn't very much in the tiny coconut, jut a few sips. He smacked his lips a couple times and gave the coconut a weird look before smiling. "Not bad."

The girls around him, except for me, clapped as if he had just fought a lion and won. Looking out at the yacht, I saw that one of the rafts was coming back. After a few minutes, the shadows in the raft showed to be the twins. When they arrived, Tamaki senpai and I immediately started unloading the tents, pillows and blankets. There were even little rolled up mattresses that are normally put bellow guest pallets. Using one of the blankets as a tarp, I piled everything on it to keep the sand from dirtying stuff up.

"We gotta head back." Hikaru said.

I looked at the large amount of sleeping supplies and how large each of the twelve tents looked. "Why? We've got plenty."

"Kyoya senpai also wants us to get the rope from the hold and any sort of knives we can find." Kaoru added.

"Wait!" I called as they both turned around. When I had their attention, I went through a list of extra things they needed to pick up. "Get any sort of medical supplies from the medical supply room that you can. Antibiotics, antidotes for snake bites, stuff like that. I already packed some in my bag but we'll need more."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "Why? We didn't even know we'd be stuck here when the storm hit."

"I prepared for anything. I actually had a pretty bad feeling something was gonna happen..." I admitted low enough to not alarm any of the girls or Tamaki senpai.

"Maybe you should come with us. You know better than us what to get." Kaoru offered.

"Hey, Boss! Can you watch the girls? We're taking Haruhi with us!"

Looking up, Tamaki smiled. "Of course. It gives us some time alone, right ladies?"

The girls giggled like mad as I climbed into the boat and drifted away with the twins. When we were halfway there, a thought entered my mind that got me really thinking. "Hey, guys?"

"Yeah?" They asked.

Looking out at the vast ocean, I sighed. "It might be time to let some of Ouran know I'm a girl."

"Why?" Hikaru asked in almost an angry tone. "If you do that and we're rescued tomorrow, it'll spread and you'll have to quit the club."

"I know, I know." I defended. "It's just...What if we don't get rescued for a while? It's gonna be hard to hide my gender from them when we're around them all the time. Also, if I keep it a secret and we aren't rescued for, say, a week, the sudden knowledge that we were keeping this big a secret could raise dissension."

This seemed to phase them. Hikaru sighed very loudly before grabbing one of the ropes that had been tied to the back of the boat and connecting it to his raft. When we were all safely aboard, the twins went to collect extra rope and weapons and I went to get medicines. Opening the door to hall that led to the cabins, I gasped.

"Guys!" I called and the twins rushed to my side. "The water got in this area somehow."

My announcement caused Kyoya senpai to appear from the dining hall. "It got in through the venting system. It's starting in the hold and keeps going up higher. We've got forty-five minutes at most. Hurry and take as much food as possible in your raft."

Nodding, I quickly opened the medical room and brought out a large duffel bag with an 'O' for Ootori and the medical symbol on it. Opening it, I shoved any of the medicines I could find in it. Luckily, I managed to find a book of medicinal herbs and packed it as well. I also grabbed bandages, cotton swabs and many other supplies before also noticing a rack of towels. Packing all the towels that I could, I put the rest of them under my arm and zipped up the bag. I didn't have to carry the heavy bag far before Hikaru appeared and took it from me.

"Why towels?"

"You want to just sun dry after bathing?" I asked sarcastically. "Tropical island or not, the wind on wet skin might give you a cold."

"Good point."

When back at the back end of the boat, I was shocked by the sheer amount of supplies that were being lowered down into the rafts. When Kaoru appeared with another box full of canned food in one arm and a large sheathed knife in the other, he lowered them down into the raft before climbing off the boat himself. As I was about to do the same, the yacht jumped and knocked everyone off balance.

"Get off the boat now!" Kyoya senpai ordered. Hurrying as fast as we could into the supply filled rafts, we paddled away. It was with dismay that we watched as the yacht sunk down about three feet into the water. Now, only the control room was above water. In about half an hour or less, that would sink too.

"That happened a little quicker than I thought it would." I whispered. "I hope we have enough supplies because there's no way anything valuable will be above water after we finish unloading what we have."

"We have enough." Kyoya senpai called from his raft. "In the event that we...stay here longer than we should... I've also brought potatoes and carrots with the roots still attached from the ship kitchen. We could plant them."

I nodded and swallowed heavily. I thought that maybe I was being too serious before and that the longest we'd be here is seven days. But what if that isn't the case? What if the search parties don't find us? I shivered. What if the island is overlooked and we ended up stuck here for a while? A month from now, two months from now? How long would it take? Only Kami knows for certain.

"You look really pale." Kaoru whispered as he looked behind him. "Try not to worry. We gotta put on brave faces for the girls."

I nodded. "I know."

When we arrived at the island's shore, Tamaki senpai helped drag our boat on to the sand to that we could get out more easily and start unloading. Tamaki senpai smiled at me. "Any more trips to the boat?"

I shook my head sadly. "It'll be sunk very soon. There's too big a risk of someone getting trapped when it goes down so we're sticking with what we have."

He nodded and took the duffel bag containing all the medicine bottles from my hands. "Let me help."

"Be careful with that! It has breakables in it!"

Taking the bag from Tamaki senpai, Kyoya senpai opened it and lifted up the towels before looking around. "I was going to pick up these on the second trip but they were all gone. Is this all?"

"No, I've got more antibiotics and a full first aid kit in my clothes bag."

"Good job. Everyone, it's time to start organizing and setting up the tents. Who all has a wrist watch or some way of telling time?"

I looked at the waterproof watch on my arm. "It says it's almost eleven in the morning."

"It's actually one in the afternoon." Hikaru interjected, his phone in hand. "We're in a different time zone than Japan."

Kyoya nodded as I change the time on my watch. "I don't know when the sun will set but I'm guessing by the time of year and the type of area we're in that it'll be somewhere around nine. First thing you all need to realize is this is not survival of the fittest amongst ourselves. We are all together and you must stay with the group. No wondering off on your own and if you decide to go in the water, buddy up with someone. We've got anywhere from nine to ten hours to set up camp, find fresh water, organize the supplies and get food in us before dark."

Honey senpai raised his hand and Kyoya nodded. "Takashi and I will find water. We've got a compass and can find our way back."

"Good, do that now." Kyoya senpai ordered. When they had collected the compass from a bag and disappeared into the trees, Kyoya senpai turned to the rest of us. "It's not a good idea to put our tents on the sand. We want more solid ground. Tamaki and I are going to use another compass to hunt down a good camp site. Stay put."

I watched as two more walked into the forest and left us alone. I sighed. I thought we were one team and supposed to stay together. I wasn't entirely sure Tamaki senpai could read a compass, let alone decide what would make a good spot to set up. Hurrying to my side, Rin grabbed a hold of my arm again. "Haruhi, what should we eat?"

I tried to smile but I had a feeling it came across as a grimace. Everyone was hungry, no doubt, but it was a bad idea to try cooking something now. With the work cut out for us, we'd just burn all those calories before bed. "Don't worry, Miss. Yamada."

"Oh, you can call me Rin." She assured me, her eyes bright.

"As soon as we have a camp site, I'm sure someone will be enlisted to cook the food." I told her, feeling a little awkward with how tightly she was holding on to me.

Yumi huffed and crossed her arms. "I hope nobody expects me to cook. I've never cooked a day in my life."

Trying not to lose my temper with the indignant rich girl, I faced the ocean and took a deep breath. Luckily, Tamaki senpai and Kyoya senpai were breaking through the trees just as I was turning around. "We found somewhere, mademoiselles!"

"The camp site may be subject to change depending on how far the fresh water is. Get the tents, girls. The other items can be transported next." Kyoya senpai told them. The girls all looked overwhelmed but it was Yumi that looked outraged.

"Us move the stuff? What do we look like, maids?"

Getting a particularly dark look on his face, Kyoya senpai walked until he was a mere foot from Yumi. "No, the maids are all back in Japan. As long as you are on this island, Miss. Kimura, you are going to work. Now get one of those tents and follow me."

Everyone, even me, was shocked as Yumi shakily approached the pile of supplies and picked up a tent. With her eyes watering, she followed Tamaki senpai through the trees and the other girls followed suit. Giving both twins a surprised look, I picked up a tent and used its carrying case strap to put it on my back. Picking up both my clothes bag and the medicine bag, I hurried into the trees and caught up to the group.

We didn't go far. It was only about thirty steps in that we found a clearing big enough to fit all the tents and the supplies. Putting my bags down, I looked to Kyoya senpai for instruction. His eyes were on the trees at the far end of the clearing. Following his gaze, I could make out Honey senpai and Mori senpai running in this direction.

"Thought we heard you guys!" Honey senpai called, a big smile on his cherub face. "We found fresh water! Walk though the trees behind us twenty paces and there's a stream that gets bigger the further South you go."

"Good. There should be two buckets in the supplies. Bring back some water for drinking." Kyoya senpai told them. I didn't like to get ordered around as much as the next guy but I was grateful Kyoya senpai was here. If not, things would probably get pretty chaotic. "Everyone else, there are twelve tents and thirteen of us. Who plans on sharing a tent?"

"Us!" The twins announced and threw an arm around eachother.

"Do what?" Honey senpai asked as he and Mori senpai came back through the trees with the water.

"Tent assignments. Who wants to share." Kyoya senpai repeated.

"Takashi and I will."

"There is to be rules while we're here. Boys and girls cannot share tents. Just because we're stuck on an island doesn't mean we need to be careless."

I nodded at Kyoya senpai's newest rule. It was a very good idea. If Kojika and her boyfriend ended up getting a little frisky, she could get pregnant. That is one thing that cannot happen, especially if we were stuck here long enough for the baby to be born.

"Next order of business is meals. We need people capable of cooking. It isn't difficult to open a can of beans and heat them up but we need to try to eat as healthy as possible and get necessary nutrition."

I raised my hand after taking my tent off my back and sitting it down. "Put me on meal duty."

"Would you like me to enlist one of the girls to assist you?" He asked low enough for nobody to hear.

"You want us to actually eat, don't you. If any of the girls comes to watch me cook, tell them not to touch anything." I whispered back.

He nodded. He and I both knew that these girls would probably burn anything they tried to cook. Surprisingly, Rin raised her hand. "I'll be Haruhi's assistant! I can learn under his instruction!"

I grimaced. Well, as long as she watched before trying to actually cook, it might not be that bad. "What do you know about cooking, Miss. Rin?"

"We'll set up your tents while you cook!" Hikaru called to us before picking a stack of three tents up.

Rin hurried to my side and bowed. "Well, I'm not versed in any sort of recipe but I can learn. I've always been told I'm a fast learner. What can I do to help?"

When the water buckets were placed beside me, I sighed and set to work. "Miss. Rin, do you see all those little twigs on the ground? Will you bring me as many of them as you can carry. I'm gonna hunt down some rocks to make a fire pit."

Nodding, she began to pick up all the tiny little twigs one by one. Searching the area, I gathered as many large rocks as I could before carrying them back to the area I planned to make a fire. It was a good fifteen feet away from the tents and left enough room around it that fallen tree trunks could be drug in for seating. Placing the rocks in a circle, I built the pit as high as possible before running out of rocks. I was already feeling worn out from just doing that when Mori senpai, bless him, carried over ten big rocks with semi flat bottoms for me to work with.

"Thanks." I smiled.

"Do you need more?" He murmured.

"No, this should be good. Now all I need is the firewood Rin is finding."

"Got it!" She yelled very loudly before covering her mouth and blushing. Putting the twigs in the middle of the fire, she smiled expectantly.

Mori senpai removed a large knife from his back pocket. "I'll find you some bigger firewood."

"Uh, thanks." I called, pleased. Looking at the pile of supplies, I hurried over and sorted through it. Grabbing all the pots, pans and cooking utensils that were brought, I took a nearby box of matches and carried it all over in two trips. Rin helped organize the cooking items while Mori senpai came back and sat three logs about eight inches long and four inches in diameter beside the pit. Using his knife and a stick, he broke up the soggy earth and scooped it out until it was dry enough to allow the fire to start.

Finishing up the pit, Rin clapped in awe as I lit a match and caused a modest fire to crackle in it. Luckily, the wood of the tree that Mori cut the logs from probably was sheltered from the storm by the canopy of trees above it because I didn't have a problem getting them to ignite.

"Do we have anything we can use as a grate?" I mumbled as I tried to remember what I saw in the supplies.

"We can try making something." Mori senpai said.

An actual metal fire grate usually used on large kitchen grills was put in front of my face. "Use this."

Looking up, I saw that it was Kyoya senpai. Dropping it in my hands, he adjusted his glasses. "I told you I prepared. It was sitting in the kitchen when I gathered the utensils."

"We're probably the most fortunate castaways to ever be trapped on an island." I told him. Putting the grate in place, I went to select tonight's dinner. Thankfully, there was a very large bag of rice available. It was healthy and easy to make. Dragging it over to the pit, I poured a little of the water from one of the buckets into a deep pan and sat it on the fire to boil.

"What can I do?" Rin asked, her eyes wide and eager. I was a little concerned that she might be crushing on my male persona. She was one of my newest guests, I think.

Opening the rice bag, I emptied some into a bowl and handed it to Rin. "When the water in this pot starts bubbling, pour this rice right in. Once you do, I'll take it from there. You should put all your things in your tent."

"I don't mind helping you, though Haruhi." She smiled. "What are we eating with the rice?"

"There's a few cans of beef stew that we could mix in with the rice. That would put rice, vegetables and meat in our systems. There's also bread that we could eat with it so we feel fuller."

Rin looked fascinated. "All you hosts seem so capable of things. I wish I could be more help."

I patted her shoulder. "You're helping quite a bit, Miss. Rin. I'll get the cans and we can throw them in as soon as the rice finishes."

Half an hour later, the food was cooked and Rin was dividing it into individual bowls for everyone. After she finished that and I handed cups up fresh water to everyone, we got our own servings and went to sit on the large blanket that had been laid out. We all prayed over our food this time. We had a lot to be thankful for. We could have died but here were were, all eating well and knowing that we'd have a place to sleep tonight that would keep us from the elements.

After dinner, Mori senpai and Honey senpai opted to wash the dishes with what was left of the water in one bucket. After that was finished, we all lit a candle that Kyoya senpai had thought to bring and held a small memorial service by the ocean's edge in honor of the departed captain and the possibly departed people who had escaped in the submarine. Melting the wax on the bottom of the candle, we fused it to a plank of wood and let it drift out. A wave caused it to flip over after a minute but the symbolism still stood.

"It'll be dark soon." Kyoya senpai whispered. "Everyone head back to the camp site and get some rest. We'll all need to get up early tomorrow morning and gather more supplies."

Back at camp, I shut myself inside my tent and relocated the rest of the medical supplies in my clothes bag to the actual medical bag. Sitting those in the corner, I changed into a pair of flannel pajama shorts that went almost to my knees and kept on the t-shirt I had on. As I was zipping the bag, I took a moment to admire the soft fabric of the green dress Kyoya senpai had sent me. I had decided at the last minute to pack it.

Taking my phone from my bag's side zipper, I checked reception and sighed. Not a single bar. Unzipping all the windows in the tent, I tried to let the breeze that came in cool me down. It was very humid right now, even with the sun about to set. Just as I was about to get out of the tent and go locate any spare water in the buckets, the twins suddenly appeared outside one of the tent windows.

"Wanna go to the beach and swim? Everyone's overheating."

"Yes!" Grabbing all the towels, I quickly followed them to the surely refreshing water waiting for us through the trees.


	4. Chapter 4

**YOU'RE ALL PROBABLY WONDERING WHEN THE PAIRING WILL COME IN. YOU'VE SEEN SOME SLIGHT HINTS SO FAR, LIKE HOW HARUHI LIKED TO SPEND HER MORNINGS BEFORE SCHOOL WITH KYOYA AND YOU MAY ALSO NOTICE THAT SHE PREFERS TO ASK HIM FOR GUIDANCE ON THE ISLAND. EVEN TAMAKI HAS SORT OF STEPPED BACK AS KING, REALIZING THAT KYOYA IS ABLE TO KEEP EVERYONE CALM THE BEST. **

**I WILL SAY THIS MUCH, THERE WILL BE A MOMENT COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE CHAPTERS THAT WILL GET KYOYA AND HARUHI ACTUALLY TALKING WITH EACHOTHER. JUST WAIT. :D**

**DISCLAIMER: SEE CHAPTER 1.**

**Chapter 4**

Haruhi's POV:

"Hey, stop splashing!" Yumi whined before running away from the mischievous twins. "I don't want salt water in my mouth."

It's been two days since we arrived on the island and Mori senpai and Honey senpai have determined that we should try our best to catch fish and other wild animals and try to save the canned food for days when we can't catch much. Luckily, Mori senpai and Honey senpai seem to be very good at this. They both fashioned spears from long sticks and sharpened rocks held together with some unraveled rope.

I gasped as a nearby fish was impaled by Honey senpai. All the girls clapped, even me. "Good job, senpai. That's your third one in the past hour, right?"

"We've got enough." He replied, his smile bright. "Who wants fried fish for lunch?"

Everyone voiced their approval. We hadn't eaten anything except rice and a little bit of canned tuna for for breakfast and we had all already worked off the food swimming. The ones actually contributing to the catching of the food had worked off even more calories. I intended on helping too as soon as I finished making my fishing net. All the leftover rope that had been unraveled and fashioned into smaller threads had been handed over to me for that particular project. If I made it right, it would be big enough to catch as many as ten fish in one go.

I also found out that Rin was particularly good at not only helping me cook but also at tying the little ropes together. Because her nails were longer, she could also untie the ones that weren't done right. The other girls were also trying their best to contribute. Everyone except for Yumi, that is. If she spent half as much time helping collect firewood as she did complaining, we'd be set for the next week. We did our best to not overwork the girls by giving them the easier tasks of collecting firewood and filling the buckets with water from the creek. That didn't matter at all to pampered 'princess' Yumi, though.

I've also been trying since last night to collect enough coconut milk to give everyone during dinner, at least. Coconut milk would give everyone their vitamin C and D, fat and protein. Since we'll be working practically all day, the extra fat wouldn't do us any harm.

"I've got the bucket, let's go!" Honey senpai called before hurrying up the sandy shore and to the forest edge. Following after, I gathered as many twigs and small logs as I could on the way. If we planned on cooking a full fish each for every person, we'd need a bit more firewood than I remember there being.

"Are we having the fish by itself or with rice again?" Rin asked me as she caught up.

"Probably by itself. I found some wild basil growing near the clearing that we can grind down and use for flavor."

She blinked a few times. "You found what?"

"Basil. It's a spice. It's used to make basil tomato soup and lots of other things. It might look familiar after we grind it into flakes."

"How did you know it was basil?" Kaoru asked as he and Hikaru ran up beside me.

"I grow spices back home. It can be expensive constantly buying them in bottles so I learned to make my own." I said simply. They all seemed really surprised and I had to remind myself, once again, that I was stranded with a bunch of rich people, most of which had never worked a day in their life before we ended up here.

As we were entering the clearing, Honey senpai, who had taken the lead, froze in front of us. I was suddenly on alert. What did he see? Was it something dangerous? Looking all around, I almost overlooked it. Pecking about at the very end of the cleaning were two chickens. Putting a finger to his lips, Honey senpai gave us all serious looks before handing the fish bucket to Mori senpai and slowly circling around the clearing. As he did, he paused at the food pile and took a few bits of bread from one of the loafs and continued around.

"Is he trying to catch them?" Yumi whispered and we all shushed her. I had no idea that wild chickens could be native to tropical islands but I never admitted to knowing everything. If I was correct, wild chickens that looked like that were called red jungle fowl.

When Honey senpai was only five feet away from the birds, he knelt down and held out the bread in his hand. One took one look at Honey senpai and backed up a few steps, the other tilted its head and took a careful step forward. It was like that for several minutes until the more outgoing of the birds finally got close enough to snatch a piece of bread from Honey senpai's hand. When it went to snatch another, Honey senpai quickly used his other hand to grab the bird by the neck.

"He got it!" Rin yelled.

The sound of Rin's voice and the frantic flapping of the bird caused the other to run away and hide in a pile of brush just outside the clearing. Wrapping one arm around the bird's wings, Honey senpai picked it up and tried to keep it calm without much luck. Grabbing a piece of the thinned rope, I attached one end to a nearby tree and went to tie the other end around the chicken's neck. When it pecked my hand, I popped it on the beak.

"Calm down. We're not trying to hurt you." I told it as I fastened the rope. "Okay, you can let it down."

As soon as it was out of Honey senpai's arms, the bird flapped its wings all the way to the ground before fleeing in the direction the other bird had run. When at the end of its rope, it panicked even more.

"It looks so scared." Mina said. "Why are we tying it up? We're not gonna kill it, are we?"

I smiled reassuringly. "Not at all. We're keeping it for the eggs, right?"

Honey senpai nodded, his grin big. "That's the plan. I saw where the other one ran. Let me get it while you guys try to build something for them."

"I've got an idea." I told them as I grabbed random twigs and some of the thinned rope. When Mori senpai knelt down to help me fashion the fence I had in mind, it ended up looking a little like the wooden play pens used for toddlers. To assure the chickens couldn't fly over it, we also used the fishing net that I had been fashioning to surround it. When it was all set up on one of the far ends of the camp ground and the net was suspended above it and tied to the tree branches, we brought over the chicken and let it loose in there. At first, it frantically tried to get free. After a few minutes, it finally relaxed and began pecking at the ground. I didn't for a minute think it would suddenly behave. It would be quite a while before we could trust it outside of its fencing.

"Got the other!" Honey senpai called as he carried the other into camp. This one was a little smaller than the other and much more docile. It cowered in Honey senpai's hands and didn't put up too much of a fight as it was put with the other one.

"We should have some eggs to cook in a day or two." I told him. "For now, let's cook the fish."

"You sacrificed your fishing net, though." Honey senpai sniffed. "You didn't have to do that."

"Don't worry." I assured him. "I can make another."

"Maybe not." Kyoya senpai murmured. "We've got another twenty feet of rope and that's it. We need to make it last, just in case there's an emergency."

I smiled awkwardly. I didn't want to get upset that we were beginning to run out of anything. Showing any negative emotions around the girls tended to freak them out. Squaring my shoulders, I set to work building a fire while watching Honey senpai and Mori senpai skin and de-bone the fish. It was a slightly gruesome process for Rin. She spent most of that time hiding her face in my shoulder.

"Poor fish."

"They'll taste good, though. We need the nutrients the fish will give us." I assured her.

Half an hour later, the fish was prepared and we all sat around the fire on a collection of logs we had brought here this morning. Kyoya was going over things we'd need to consider while he ate. "Since we're nearly out of rope, we'll want to try to fashion some using the thinner, more pliable bits of bark from the trees around us."

"I remember seeing another fifty feet of rope in the yacht's cargo hold." Hikaru brought up.

"But we can't get to it." Kaoru reminded him.

"Not necessarily. The ship has mostly sunk but about a foot of it is still above water, stuck on the rock. I think we can use that to our advantage and swim into the cargo hold for supplies not damaged by water." I recommended. "We have flashlights."

"It's too big a risk." Kyoya said firmly, shaking his head.

"We need the rope and some more of the canned foods would be nice." I tried again. "If we wait any longer, we might lose our chance. Another storm could hit and that storm could take the ship all the way down."

After a long minute of silence, Kyoya finally looked towards a break in the trees that let us see a glimpse of the ocean. Sensing that he was really considering it, Honey senpai perked his head up. "Takashi and I can volunteer. We're stronger swimmers and can carry more in one go. You can leave a raft floating above us to take the supplies as we bring them up."

"Very well." Kyoya finally said. "If the yacht even budges during the process, you abort the mission. Understood? We'll start tomorrow."

Honey senpai and Mori senpai nodded in agreement and returned to eating their dinner. We ate our food more quickly lately, since we waited to eat until we were half starved from all the physical work we did in the day. It seemed like all I was doing lately involved cooking. I knew for a fact I'd be cooking more for Honey senpai and Mori senpai than everyone else tomorrow, since they'd be the ones going into the sunken ship for supplies.

"We still have half the day. What will we do now?" Rin asked, looking at me directly.

"We could try getting supplies from the ship today. The sun won't set for seven or so hours." I recommended.

"Who wishes to participate in the group that will gather supplies from the wreckage?" Kyoya asked and Honey senpai and Mori senpai raised their hands, as well as Tamaki and Kyoya themselves. Even Kin raised his hand, something I didn't expect. He had been quiet today, only speaking quietly with his girlfriend, Kojika.

"I have an idea for the rest of us." I added. "Whoever chooses to stay at camp can help me create a better hold for the chickens. After that, I'll make dinner and then I'd like to spend the remainder of the time before sunset following the stream to search for a few things."

"Like what?" The twins asked at once, tilting their heads to the side.

"I found wild basil growing on the island. It can be used for cooking and it works as a fly and mosquito repellent, so I sprinkled the leaves on top of the remaining bread. There might be other herbs. Fruits even. It's a tropical island that it bound to be full of bananas, lemons, papayas and other things. I'm not that knowledgeable about exactly what tropical areas have what but I can find out."

"That sort of scavenging could take longer than you think." Kyoya mused while the girls clapped their hands at the idea of fresh fruits to eat. "Wait until tomorrow to make a better hold for the chickens. What we have will do for tonight. Take the twins and as many of the girls as are willing to go. Whoever refuses to help with either task must remain in their tent until at least one party has returned to camp, which could take hours."

"I'll go with Haruhi." Rin said with a big smile and all of the girls agreed to ask well, save for Yumi. She crossed her arms and huffed, a few pieces of hair that were close to her face fluffing out.

"I suppose taking a walk by the stream will be enjoyable. I could even try helping spot the fruits we need. I have good eyes." She said as if she were offering a great service. She glanced Kyoya's way and that answered the question of who's guest she was. He didn't pay her any mind, which caused her to scowl.

"Very good. As soon as we finish lunch, we'll begin our tasks. Stay safe, stay together. Do not attempt to wander off on your own." Kyoya ordered, giving a specifically hard look to Yumi.

We ate quicker then, most of us anxious to start our tasks. I was especially excited for mine. It may sound silly but the idea of scavenging for herbs and fruits sounded like something right out of Swiss Family Robinson. When the last bite was finished, I collected the plates, cups and forks and cleaned them, allowing Rin to dry them and store them in the bag where all the dishes were kept.

"Be safe." I reminded Mori senpai and Honey senpai as they walked through the trees with Kyoya and Tamaki. "Please."

Honey senpai hugged me and Mori senpai simply gave one of his rare smiles. "Don't worry, Haru chan. We'll be safe. You too. Don't eat anything bad for you."

"We won't touch anything that can't be identified." I assured him. We waited until they had disappeared through the trees before gathering our own supplies, which consisted of two baskets and a couple hunting knives for protection, before heading in the opposite direction.

When we reached the small stream, I looked to the left and watched the water flow downhill. Rin grabbed my arm. "Which way, Haruhi?"

"Follow the water downhill. That's where we're more likely to find thriving plants that we can eat."

"To the left!" She cheered, pumping the fist not clutching my shirt into the air. Any contact from the other guests used to bother me. I guess I'm just getting used to it.

The further downhill we traveled, the larger the trees became, the taller the grass. Spotting a snake hanging from a tree, I carefully guided the girls around it, hoping none of them noticed. Luckily, they didn't. They did, however, notice the frogs on a tree a ways down and stopped to admire them. They were very colorful and beautiful, but that usually meant poisonous.

"Try not to touch them, ladies. Colorful frogs are often poisonous."

"I'm tired." Yumi whined. "My feet hurt and I'm almost sure I saw a snake a ways back."

"That's likely." I told her, not really admitting that she was correct about the snake. "It's a forest. I can already see the edge of the stream that flows into a bigger body of water. Keep going a little further and you ladies can rest by the water while I look around."

That seemed to get her in better spirits. At the edge of the stream, I moved aside a few branches to let everyone through before walking forward myself. It was a large lake that branched into a river directly before us. It was almost entirely surrounded by beautiful and thriving trees and the high sun caused the water to sparkle. It was absolutely beautiful but none of it compared to the sight a few feet into the water.

"Look!" Rin exclaimed in a whispered voice, smart enough to not raise her voice. When we had arrived at the lake, a large stag had been drinking from it a few feet into the water, its legs almost entirely submerged. When we arrived, it lifted its head up to stare at us in shock, not sure if it would be smart to run.

"If we could catch that, it would taste delicious." Kaoru whispered to me.

"Yum, venison." Hikaru tacked on.

"A few reasons why that wouldn't work. It's huge and would go bad before we could eat it all, it's powerful so it could easily harm us as we tried to overpower of it and-" I stopped as it finally decided to bolt from the water and right past us, disappearing into the trees. I let out a shaky breath. It had nearly clipped me with its shoulder. "Fast."

"Darn." The twins sighed.

"Alright, we're going to all stay within this clearing, around the water's edge. Don't go any further in the water than your height will allow and make sure you can see into the part of the water you're in, just in case there's snakes."

"Snakes? I'm not going in the water!" Korin whined and a few other girls supported it. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed a basket and one of the hunting knives and headed for some trees in the distance that looked promising.

"I'll go with you." Kaoru ran beside me and slowed his stride to match mine. "Hikaru will watch the others."

He took the knife from me and attached it to his belt loop, leaving me with just the basket. I supported it under my arm and against my hip before stopping before a tree with green fruit hanging in clusters of two and reaching up. It was just out of my reach so Kaoru grabbed one and handed it to me. It was about three times the size of my hand.

"Just as I thought." I said with a smile.

"What are they?"

"They're called marang. That botany class I took during my Freshman year will come in handy. Can't you smell them from here?"

He inhaled deeply. "It smells sweet. How many should we take."

"There's thirteen of us so take just a few. We can come back for more later." I said and he began picking the ones he could reach. When the three rested in the bottom of my basket, we walked to the far side of the lake and through a few trees, where I could see something red. I reached up and poked one. "Tambis fruit. Water apples."

"I know about this one, actually. We can eat this one as is, right?"

"Yeah but wash it in the water first. I need twenty of these. I'm gonna use them for a dessert item with tonight's dinner."

He picked twenty of the best looking ones and placed them carefully in the basket, these were much more delicate than the marang fruits. "Anything else?"

"That's enough for today. It only takes us ten minutes to get here so we can easily come back for more."

"What did you find?" Rin asked in excitement as we returned to the group.

"Marangs and water apples." I presented the basket to the group and they all admired the haul.

"They look kind of like strawberries." Yumi pointed to the water apples.

"They're sweet but don't taste like strawberries. Come on, we should get back. I want to gather some more basil..." I trailed off. "It that a..."

"Bunny!" Korin squealed, causing the thing to look up in surprise before bolting. I gave her a dubious stare.

"Try not to scare away any more we might see. If we're careful, we can bring one home. They're fast but easy to kill once you catch up to them."

"Why not built a trap?" The twins recommended and Korin looked at me sadly, her expression matching the rest of the girls'.

"Don't hurt the bunny, Haruhi. It's so cute and fluffy."

I gave Korin what I hoped was a sympathetic but firm look. "We need to consider all food options."

"But we have lots of canned food." She tried again.

"And when that canned food runs out? There's a lot, yes, but only enough for maybe another week at the rate we eat it. It'll last longer if we eat it only when there's no other option."

"I'm less concerned about us finding food and more concerned about when I get to bathe." Yumi sighed. "I feel disgusting. I haven't bathed since I was on the yacht, right before the storm."

"That would be nice." Kojika added. "There's a small waterfall back on the far side of the water before it branches into a river. We could use that as a shower."

"But what about soap?" Yumi said rather shrilly.

"That, I may be able to help you with." I told her as we carefully passed around the snake tree, making sure to be at least fifteen feet from it. "My father likes to make his own soaps, says he likes knowing what he's putting on his body. He taught me before the landlord banned him from using the complex grill as an ash pit."

"What do we need? Water and flowers?" Kaoru asked.

"Both of those, plus coconut oil for moisturizer and lye so the soap has substance and the ability to actually clean our bodies, which we can make with rainwater that's been filtered through ash." I explained.

Hikaru and Kaoru threw their arms closest to me around my shoulders. "Leave it to us to get trapped" on an island with a scholarship student."

"We're lucky when you think about it." Rin mused as she looked down at her walking feet.

"How are we, in any way, lucky?" Yumi asked with a shocked look on her face. "Our boat crashed, the staff died and now we're trapped on an island until everyone realizes we never made it to St. Martin."

"But we survived, us teens. We're unharmed and don't have to want for food, shelter or supplies. Plus we're on the island with several knowledgeable people that can help us not only survive longer but live more comfortably than a lot of other stranded people would."

Rin's little speech seemed to hit something in Yumi. She looked down with an expression of deep thought and slightly ebbing indignation. "I guess..."

"We're back." I called to the others as I broke through the trees and stepped into camp. Nothing seemed to be touched. Even the chickens were clucking about in their enclosure, eating at the bits of bread we left for them right before we left camp. "The others must still be at the wreckage."

"How long were we gone? Maybe they've finished gathering things and will be back soon." Rin asked.

"About half an hour, counting how slow we walked back."

"I'm going to see if they're done yet." Yumi stated before walking ahead of us, towards the other side of camp.

"Not alone." I warned her but she didn't seem to be listening. "Miss. Kimura!"

She disappeared through the trees and I sighed. At least it's easy to get from here to the beach. Korin began to fret. "What if she gets lost?"

"She won't." I assured her. "It takes about a minute to get from here to the beach. If you'd like, we can go to the beach too."

Putting the basket of fruits down with the other foods, I covered it with a blanket and led the girls to the beach. When I found Yumi sitting at the water's edge, I looked out at the wreckage, where Tamaki, Kyoya and Kin were floating in a raft near it. I thought I could also spot Honey senpai and Mori senpai's heads bobbing near the raft. A couple small objects were passed into Kyoya's waiting hands and the two heads submerged again.

"What now?" Yumi asked, glancing at us over her shoulder. The question was directed at me.

"Swim if you'd like. But be ready to help carry things back to camp. It may take more than one trip to the wreckage."

"I wonder what they'll bring back besides rope and canned foods." Kojika said thoughtfully.

"A working cellphone would be a miracle." Yumi said in such a casual manner, I actually cracked a smile.

"All of us would like that, Miss. Kimura."

"I've been thinking." She said quickly, her eyes back on the boys and their raft. Honey senpai and Mori senpai had resurfaced. "Just because we're on a deserted island doesn't mean we can't act a little normal. We should arrange for a time of day to do club related things. I mean to say, you hosts entertain us."

"It may not seem like it, Miss. Kimura, but the work of a host can be physically draining for some of us." I tried planting the seeds of reason in her but it seemed to have no affect with her next words.

"But not Tamaki. He seems to always have energy and time for his guests. Kyoya is always the same with his guests, every single day. Which is why..." She looked back over her shoulder, one of her blue eyes hidden by her blond hair. "It's strange, isn't it? How everyone has changed, Kyoya especially. He's colder now."

I wanted to tell her that Kyoya hadn't _changed_ but was acting like his normal self now, but doubted it would go over well. "Kyoya is doing what he has to, Miss. Kimura. We need order, structure, stability. We also need someone willing to command everyone who will use their head and their instincts, instead of merely their heart."

She smirked. "Like Tamaki would, right? If he insisted on being captain, he'd end up killing us all."

My eyes widened in realization. Looking over my own shoulder, I saw that everyone had already branched out to either collect sea shells or play in the water further down the beach. I looked back at Yumi. "You dislike Tamaki senpai. Why?"

She tensed, her eyes cautious and hostile. "I have my reasons. I don't have to justify my actions."

"To dislike someone so strongly, they must have done something to anger you. Were you once his guest."

The way her expression flitted to surprise for the tiniest second told me I was correct. The hard look locked back in place. "Everyone who switches which host they spend time with is called a host hopper. Has anyone ever thought to question why we change hosts? It isn't because we're bored or indecisive...we get tired of their behavior."

"What about Tamaki irks you this way? His childishly gallant way of handling his guests?"

She shook her head quickly, giving me another dubious stare. "He's a whore, Fujioka san. He spouts off poems and sonnets and tells you of his undying love that he has to keep hidden from the rest of the girls and then goes and tells the same thing to another girl."

"He's only trying his best to make each girl happy." I defended. I would defend any host if they were being attacked this way, just as I defended Kyoya when his father called his affiliation with the club useless. Yumi's eyes looked fierce.

"He's not making anyone happy. He makes us feel longing. We come to the club every day for the chance to feel special again, get to be near him. And he brings us closer if we want it. He'll even kiss us if we ask, but what do any of us have to show for it in the end? Nothing. That's why I can't stand him. He lies. Kyoya does not. He doesn't put up a front or tell us anything romantic. He's just there and intelligent and when he occasionally smiles, it's never fake. He's unlike all the other hosts."

As Yumi's opinions finally settled in me, I went to sit beside her. "I can see your side now. But there's always things about each host a girl isn't going to like. Tamaki's a little superficial, but he doesn't mean to be. Kyoya is cold and distant, right?"

She looked down sadly. "That's not his fault. It has to be whatever upbringing he had, or maybe something that happened to him when he was younger..."

I knew at least a little of what made Kyoya distant. He's obsessed with surpassing his elder brothers and proving to his father that he's better than them. His father, the only man he has to look up to, is just as cold, colder even. "He only ever talks with his guests about promotional offers."

She shook her head quickly, the indignation in her eyes now traced with something else. "No, not always. There was this one time..."

Yumi then told me, in detail, of her fondest memory of Kyoya. I was so caught up in the story, I could actually imagine it happening right in front of me.

_**FLASHBACK (In Yumi's POV:)**_

_It was the final day of school last year. It was the last day I'd be a Freshman and I wanted to do something transcendent. So I confessed my feelings of love to Tamaki. He was still my preferred host then. He looked so shocked...I asked him if he loved me too. Then he said the cruelest thing._

"_My dear Yumi...Of course I love you...just as I love all my guests. I couldn't dream of loving any one of you more than the others. You're all so dear to me."_

_It was the final straw, the last time I was ever his guest. I ran from the school and out into the pouring rain. I didn't care then if I got sick or even just soaked to the bone. I ran to the gate to wait under the awning. I had told my ride to wait ten minutes longer than usual to come and get me and wanted nothing more than to go home._

_I remember thinking all the cars around me looked pretty as they sped by, making the rainy ground look colored. When ten minutes passed and my ride still hadn't arrived, I started to get a little angry as well as sad. I had never been forgotten before and it hurt. Being just a Freshman, I started to cry harder. It didn't occur to me that anyone was around, let alone watching._

"_What's the matter, Miss. Kimura?" Kyoya asked me. He was on the other side of the awning, near the other half of the gate, an umbrella above his head and a notebook in hand. He tucked it in his pocket and actually approached me. At the time, I was so angry and hurt over Tamaki that I was angry with Kyoya too. They were best friends and I had yet to think of Kyoya as anything other than the shadow king, an extension of Tamaki himself._

"_Go away!" I yelled. I could tell that he was surprised, both by my yelling and the fact I was crying. "I can't stand you hosts! Any of you! All you do is pretend!"_

_His eyes looked so hard, I thought I made him angry. If I were still a devoted member, that would have frightened me. I would have assumed he would ban me for angering him. At that point, I didn't care and was actually rather pleased I managed to make any of them act less than perfect. "You're one of Tamaki's guests. Would I be correct if I made the assumption that this has to do with him?"_

_To this day, I have no idea what came over me. He was already just a couple feet away and his words made me so angry that I actually hit him. Slapped him right across the face. The look of complete shock was very satisfying. "I said to go away! What more do you want? Is ripping my heart out not enough for a host? Do you have to mock the girls you hurt too?"_

_I was waiting for him to get completely angry. I waited for the response that I was acting like someone undeserving of their guest membership and that I was no longer allowed to visit the club. I even waited for him to tell me he would inform my father of my behavior. Instead, he stepped closer and held the umbrella in his hand over both of us. I was surprised enough that I didn't fight it._

_For a couple minutes, he didn't say anything. Finally, when I could see a limo in the distance here to pick one of us up, he glanced down and me and, as serious as I've ever seen any host, told me something that was actually true, that he actually meant. If you heard it from his own lips, you wouldn't mistake it either. _

"_Miss. Kimura, if you would reconsider you desire to disassociate yourself with the host club, please consider becoming my guest. If you do, I can promise you that nothing I say or do will ever be fake or forced. If you want me to act real around you, that's exactly what I'll do."_

_After that, he handed me the umbrella and got in the limo that had pulled up. A few minutes after he left, my own ride came. I spent the Summer really thinking about it and, after this year started up, I rejoined as a guest and chose Kyoya as my preferred host. I had to go through people calling me a host hopper, just like everyone else who's made a switch, but I bore it rather proudly. Those who knew of my confession to Tamaki, a few of my friends, they were proud of me and I was proud of myself._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Her eyes becoming less distant, she returned to the present and smirked at me again. "And he hasn't pretended to be anything less than himself. He kept his promise and that's why I'll never choose another host, that's why I'll be there until he graduates. And he's hot. Nobody can deny that."

"Land ho!" Tamaki's childish cry alerted us to the fact that the raft was only ten feet from the shore. Standing, she went to join the other girls while I grabbed a floating rope and started pulling the raft to shore. Tamaki and Kyoya both jumped from the raft to help while the exhausted looking Honey senpai and Mori senpai sat in the boat with the supplies. I saw canned foods, rope, glass jars, some more kitchen utensils, a couple dish rags and a few bags of vacuum sealed pasta.

"Is this all we're getting today?" I asked as I took Honey senpai's hand and helped him from the raft.

"Yes, they're exhausted." Kyoya answered for them. "Did you find anything during your search?"

Yumi jumped in. I shouldn't have been surprised. "Yes, Kyoya senpai. We found marang fruits and water apples around the body of water at the edge of the stream."

He gave her a quick glance, which was enough to make her blush. "Very good. How much did you bring back?"

"Enough for everyone to eat with dinner." I added. "Are those jars for me to use? I have some ideas for them."

He handed all three of the jars to me. "Do what you'd like with them. Honey senpai brought them up for you."

"What will you do with them?" Rin asked as she accepted a handful of canned foods.

"We'll need them for the soap making process and then later for food storage."

Back at camp, we found the most unexpected sight. A couple of monkeys had grabbed some of the water apples from my basket and were chewing on them. "Hey! Get lost, you two!"

I startled them enough that they dropped their haul and ran into the trees, swinging through the branches as they reached the edge of camp. Rin frowned. "Our fruits..."

I checked the basket. "They only grabbed a couple. There's still plenty. But we don't know what kind of diseases they may be carrying and they could have dug through the whole basket, touching everything."

"It's probably fine but we shouldn't risk it. Throw out the basket and form a team to head back to the fruit trees. There's enough time before sunset to get more and cook and eat our dinner."

I looked around for helpful hands but everyone looked very tired, even Rin. Tamaki raised a hand, his playful face showing through his exhaustion. "I'll go with you, Haruhi."

"You'll get her lost, you goof." Kyoya quipped at his long-time best friend. "I'll go too. I should see the body of water you found."

"I'll go too!" Yumi practically yelled, shooting from her seat on one of the logs and raising her hand in the air. "I remember where the fruit trees are too."

"Very well." Was Kyoya's only response before following me and Tamaki through the trees. We brought with us the same fruit basket, now emptied, and a hunting knife for protection.

"We found rabbits by the way." I told the boys. "And a very big stag. It was drinking from the lake at the end of the stream."

"I know the idea of eating wild game is tempting and some if it is fine but nothing big. We have no way of storing what we don't finish." Kyoya said while eying the snake dangling from the tree near us. That thing hasn't moved an inch. Must be too hot for it. I know I'm overheating.

"What about soap? I'd like to make some soap and that requires lye. Everything I need can be found on the island but I'd like a barrel. Making one by hand wouldn't be the easiest task."

"Honey senpai said he found some barrels floating in the hold." Tamaki mentioned. "We could use those."

"Tomorrow." Was Kyoya's only reply before we broke through the trees. While he viewed the water, I walked around until I hit the marang tree. With some jumping, I was able to grab one.

"Need help?" Tamaki offered, startling me.

I put a hand to my chest. "Don't scare me like that. I didn't know you followed me."

He pouted. "I'm sorry, Haruhi. Daddy didn't mean to."

"It's okay. Grab those two above you." I pointed to two large, ripe ones. He grabbed them and placed them in the waiting basket. "The water apple trees are over there, through a break in the trees."

It took only a few minutes and we had things gathered. Bringing the basket back to the water's edge, I washed everything and placed it all back in the basket. Kyoya looked in the basket. "Are there any other kinds of fruit trees near here?"

"I never checked. There's probably a lot. Want to look just a little."

"We shouldn't stay gone too long." He murmured, looking up at the sky to judge how much time we had.

"The sun won't set for hours." I tried again and, to my disbelief, he sighed.

"Alright. Only because I've been wanting to view more of the island. But be careful."

"I want to go back to camp." Yumi told everyone. "It's hot and the mosquitoes won't leave me alone."

"You'll be fine." I told her before running after Kyoya and Tamaki.

It took about five minutes of walking but we eventually happened upon a cliff. Carefully looking over it, I gulped. It was a drop of about thirty feet into water that I had no idea of knowing the depth of. It looked beautiful and potentially thrilling but I wouldn't want to be the guinea pig that took the first jump. On top of that, the water had a current to it, which took a floating stick rather quickly away. Looking a little further over the edge, I realized there was a waterfall about ten feet down, which forcefully pushed at the water.

"It's beautiful." Tamaki said with a sigh. "Wouldn't you agree, Yumi?"

She crossed her eyes and looked away from him. He looked both confused and a little hurt. Sensing a tension brewing in the air, I spoke up. "Very beautiful. I wonder how deep the water is."

"Let's get back. I don't see any more fruit trees." Kyoya commanded and we listened. The walk back was peaceful, relaxing even. The snake didn't even bother me this time. As long as it was this hot outside, it would likely dangle from the tree branches and nap.

Everyone looked impatient when we arrived back at the camp. I had to listen to constant complaining from the twins until dinner was cooked and sitting before them. Everyone enjoyed the fruits and I made a mental list to get more for tomorrow. I bet it would taste good as a sugared treat. We're in what I'm guessing is a Southeast Asian climate, which means sugarcane must grow here.

Later that evening, I lay in my tent thinking of everything that's happened so far. I wonder how worried dad is. Probably too much for his health. At least it'll only be another five or so days and one of the others' rich families will show up. That's gotta be part of what will get me through this. In less than a week, I'll be able to let my dad know I'm alive. Yeah...


	5. Chapter 5

**HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THE STORY SO FAR. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: SEE CHAPTER 1.**

**Chapter 5**

When the week ended, we began to feel the traces of worry in the pits of our stomachs. Our rescue hadn't come and we had no way of returning to the yacht anymore. After we had been stranded for four days, it finally disconnected from the rock and sunk the rest of the way.

To say people were starting to get used to the island would be a lie, but it was at least bearable for everyone. It took three full days to make the lye and another day to fashion it into soap, using distilled flower oil and coconut oil. It felt amazing to actually get clean. By the end of the seventh day, I went to bed well fed, washed and hopeful that perhaps it would just take another day or two. Half a week later, people began to panic.

"Why aren't they here yet?" Yumi screamed, finally cracking. She, along with everyone else in our party, save for Honey senpai and Mori senpai, had agreed to come with me to search for new kinds of fruit trees while Honey senpai and Mori senpai kept watch on a large fire we had set up at the beach in hopes a ship would find its way out this far. "It's been a week and a half!"

"We were blown quite a ways from the usual paths ships take. It might take the rest of this week." Kyoya told her.

"What if we never get off this stupid island?" Korin said in dismay. "I'm tired of sleeping in a tent every night."

"And I'm tired of eating fish every day." Mina added.

"And if I have to use that smelly soap one more time, I'll scream." Mina seethed. "I thought you said it would smell good."

"It smells fine." I defended. "I added as much essential oil as I could but you need a lot of flowers for a small amount. If you had brought back more in your basket when I was distilling the flowers, you would have better smelling soap."

The fact that I was finally losing my patience and talking to her like she was equal to me, which she is, was both unnerving and frustrating for her. "Don't talk to me, commoner. To think I actually shared one of my most intimate stories with you."

She was referring to her first good memory of Kyoya, the day he convinced her to give the host club another try. We were passing by the thirty foot cliff then. The twins were quick to go and take a look.

"That's far down." The said in unison.

"Careful." Was all I could tell them. I knew how reckless they could be and the last thing I wanted was for them to fall and hurt themselves, or worse.

"If you're so worried, then come watch over us." Hikaru told me before making a straight dash for me, his brother by his side. Grabbing my arms, the two lifted me to their height and headed back for the cliff.

"No!" I screamed. "Let me go!"

They sat me on my feet but leaned me, so I would for sure drop if they were to let go. "What? We're just showing you the view."

"I've already seen it!" I yelled. "Help me, someone!"

"Hikaru, Kaoru, please stop." I heard Rin fret. "If you drop him..."

"We won't." They assured her.

"Both of you, stop now. It's too dangerous to be playing this way." Kyoya ordered firmly, his hand coming to grip the back of my shirt, just in case. The twins sighed.

"You're no fun..."

It happened very fast. I was lifted back to stand properly on my feet and the twins let go too soon. I wobbled forward and tripped on a rock near my feet, sending me face first over the edge. As I began to fall, I realized the hand on the back of my shirt never left. Unable to even scream, I felt myself being pulled at and suddenly I was in Kyoya's arms. He threw his weight until we were falling feet first.

"Hold your breath." He said so quickly, I only had time to react. Then we impacted.

The desire to scream was never so strong as when we were being jerked through the water by the rushing current, unable to surface yet. There were several rocks we could have hit, but current pulled us past each one. Finally, after what felt like much too long, I felt Kyoya kick his legs until we broke through to the air above the water. I gasped, taking in large breathes, realizing we could be taken back under at any point.

The water was now too wide for us to grab anything with sufficient kicking, we luckily grabbed onto a floating log, which kept us from going back under. He looked right at me, his glasses no longer on. "I don't want to scare you but the river we're on is probably connected to another waterfall, a larger one. We have to kick as hard as we can and get this log to the edge of the water. Now."

I listened, smart enough to know he was giving me life saving advice. I kicked as hard as I could, ignoring the cramps in my legs and reaching with my free hand for a rock on the water's edge. Almost there. One more kick was enough to get both our hands to that rock. Grabbing a hold of it, the log was taken by the current and we were left with the task of getting out of the water without slipping.

"This is going to hurt." He told me before grabbing my waist and chucking me onto the rock in front of the one I was clinging to. It hurt and knocked the breath out of me, but it was grounded enough to keep me in place. When I could breathe again, I lifted myself until I was sitting on the rock. It was able to stand up and jump right onto the grass before me. Kyoya simply hoisted himself up and went to join me.

I gawked. "Why couldn't I do that? Why did you have to throw me."

"Your arms are weak." He stated. "I didn't expect you to be able to."

His drifting eyes caught my attention and I followed them. The cliff we had fallen off of could be seen, but barely. It had to be a few miles away. Would we make it back to camp by nightfall? I checked my waterproof watch. "We have about eight and a half hours before sunset."

"We can make it if you can keep up with me." He said before walking along the river. "Follow the water till we reach the cliff and then we'll figure out a way to get back to the top."

It sounded like as good a plan as any. Maybe there would be a hill we could just walk up off to the side of the cliff. "Sounds good."

It took about five minutes of walking to realize that Kyoya was scowling. He looked positively livid. I bit my lip. "Uh...I'm really sorry. If I hadn't of stumbled-"

"No." He said a little too loudly. "Do not blame yourself. It's the twins that will be lucky to survive once we get back. They could have killed you."

"But they didn't and I'm fine. I'm not even hurt." I tried to calm him. "Thanks to you."

"You are hurt. Your leg." He pointed before stopping, causing me to take notice of a three inch cut on my upper right leg, just below the cut of my shorts. I touched it and winced.

"It's not that bad. I really only feel it when I touch it." I assured him but he didn't look convinced.

"It doesn't matter if it doesn't hurt. It's an open wound. You were just in water that's probably filled with bacteria and now it's exposed to whatever you happen to brush against. Sit."

"What?" I blinked.

"Sit." He ordered again and I sat on a fallen tree trunk. He walked several feet away, disappearing from my view. When he returned, he had some leaves in hand. He placed them in my hands and began rolling up the shorts on my right leg until most of my leg was showing.

"It feels hairy." I remarked as I felt the leaves. "Are these wooly lamb's ear?"

"Yes. They'll work as a dressing until we get back to camp."

"I thought so. How are we gonna hold it to my leg?"

In answer, he lifted my soaked satchel from around me and broke the strap off before proceeding to press the leaves against my cut and wrap it. When he finished, the leaves were firmly pressed in place and my bag was missing a handle. He opened the bag and looked inside. "Why did you bring an empty bag with you?"

"I was gonna store herbs in it. Now what?"

He stuffed it into his pocket and offered his hand. I took it and let him lift me up. "Hurry up."

I hurried after him, a little uncomfortable with how the leaves were scraping against the cut. At least it probably wouldn't get infected. "Thank you, Kyoya senpai. For not letting me make the fall alone and for the help with this."

He glanced back at me. "I had tried to pull you back to keep you from falling at all. You tripping over that rock and stumbling is what made the two of us fall."

I grimaced. "Sorry about that."

"Nothing that can be done now." Was his only reply. He didn't look mad anymore, but the irritation couldn't be masked, especially without his glasses to hide his expression.

"How well can you see without your glasses?" I asked him after another few minutes. I was honestly curious. He didn't look like he was having any trouble as he stepped over rocks and fallen logs.

"Well enough. My vision is still better than yours, even without the glasses."

I glared. "And how do you know that?"

"Just a guess." Was his answer just as I walked into a dangling vine. It wasn't that my vision was bad at all, I was just paying too much attention to other things. "It's my depth perception that is affected when my glasses aren't on. Though that itself has been almost entirely corrected.

"If they're not entirely necessary, why do you wear them?"

He looked at me as if the answer should be obvious. "For the guests. It's my trademark. As your natural boyish charm is yours."

I grimaced. "What will the girls say if it comes to a point when I have to confess my gender?"

"Try to keep it a secret as long as possible. The whole time we're on the island would be preferable. If they were to suddenly find out, it could spell trouble. Accusations would be thrown, they'll say we were all lying to them, which will put a barrier between us and them. They'll stop listening to sound advice and eventually try to do as they please. It will also make you a key target."

All of it made sense except the last part. "Target?"

"Right now, it's acceptable to the girls for you to spend any amount of time with the rest of us because you yourself are a host. It is not, under any circumstances, acceptable in their eyes for another girl to spend the amount of time you do with us. They'll try to separate you and keep you from being able to talk to the rest of us, which could be a potentially threatening situation. They could also try to hurt you."

I gave a shaky smile. "Oh, come on. They're the daughters of posh families. Girly girls who can't operate a stove, let alone yield a weapon. What could they do?"

His expression was hard. "A lot. This isn't anything new. It may not be openly discussed but there have been several circumstances in the past where a guest has harmed another guest. Yumi herself has struck others more than once for spending too much time with Tamaki last year and me this year."

"There was also the guest from when I first became a host. Even though she didn't realize I was a girl, she was still jealous and tried to make the whole room think I hurt her. I understand now. I just wish there wasn't that kind of problem happening around us."

"It can't be helped. I knew it would the moment Tamaki explained what his version of a host club is."

As we passed under a large tree with low hanging branches, I felt something tug on my hair and gasped. Looking up, I stared into the big eyes of a monkey no bigger than a kitten. He blinked and made a noise before reaching for my hair again. "Kyoya senpai, it's staring at me."

"It's a slender loris. They're usually nocturnal. It must be too young to understand."

"Where's its family? Sleeping?"

"In the higher branches of this tree, I'm guessing. Come on. Try not to look at it or it might follow."

"Um, okay..." I reluctantly looked away before following after Kyoya. It was so cute. Another little sound came from it and I quickly looked to the ground. I could hear rustling. Was it following us?

"Your desire to look at it again must be strong enough for even it to sense." Kyoya told me and it sounded a bit like he was amused. I glanced up and found a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yes, it's behind you."

I couldn't help it. I looked back. The little monkey was on the ground now, following after me at a safe distance. I wish I had some food to give it but I didn't have the chance to collect anything in my satchel before I fell. "I bet it's hungry..."

"Leave it, Haruhi. If we can't find our way back to camp before nightfall, you'll be lucky to eat tonight. We can't try to forage for food in the dark."

"Sorry." I said quickly. "It's just that the monkey is the first animal that's gotten close enough for me to touch. We're on this beautiful island apparently untouched by man with all these beautiful animals and I've only seen them in glimpses. Except that snake near the stream."

"And the chickens I've let you care for." He added.

"Don't say it like it was my idea to keep them." I scowled a little, only half upset. "We need them for their eggs. We've been able to eat eggs with our meals once a week so far."

"Yes, but the eggs are small and don't come often enough because they're wild game hens. We get more protein in the fish we eat than the eggs. We're wasting valuable bread. It may come time in the next week to kill them for their meat and be done with it."

"Korin would never forgive you. She loves those little hens. She named them and everything."

He wasn't phased. "All of the girls must learn that it's survival first. We don't have time for sentimentality. You've coddled them, Rin especially."

"It was your idea to keep my gender concealed if you recall." I rose my voice a little, tired of having the finger of blame pointed my way. "Seeing as I'm a boy in the eyes of those girls, wouldn't it be obvious that she'd hang on me like she does in the club?"

"That's not what I meant." His eyes narrowed as he stared straight ahead. I could only vaguely see it out of the corner of my eye. "I mean you've been needing their help, as we all have, but you never ask for it. You've been acting as their buffer even. They all hide behind you at the slightest sign that we'll actually make them put forth some effort. Other than Rin assisting with meals, all they've done is follow you around to assure that shirking their work will be easy. When I try to reign them in, you insist they're doing the best they can."

"I never said they're doing the best they can. I told you they're doing the best that they know how to. I don't like it any more than you do but see it from their perspectives. They've been raised like princesses. It's physically draining just carrying a bucket of water from the stream to the camp. We've been doing well enough without much of their help. If they suddenly started trying to help, they'd probably botch things up. Why fix what isn't broken?"

"Your mentality is flawed." He sighed. When I had the chance to glance up at him without being caught, I saw that he looked resigned. "I expected you, of all people, to want them to learn some real world knowledge. If things continue as they have, they'll leave this island with no more experience than when we arrived."

"I'd love for them to learn real world knowledge, Kyoya senpai. I'm not sure how to proceed but I'll do what I can. I don't know...maybe I do baby them too much."

"Maybe?"

I huffed. "Alright, I do. It'll change when we get back. Just don't leave it all on my shoulders. You're the leader here. If you want help from them, demand it. Or are you still trying to salvage the image they have of you and the other hosts?"

"At first, I thought I could. I'm quickly realizing that the only way to get them to take us seriously is to shatter the image they have. But only with a select few of us. They need at least one or two of us to keep that image. It'll help them cope. There are two of Tamaki's guests here. He shouldn't change his behavior."

"I don't think he could if you asked him to. Being romantic this way, making this situation out to be in any way ideal, that's how Tamaki copes. The twins have each other. Same for Honey senpai and Mori senpai. What does Tamaki have but his hosting? He isn't even wearing the crown anymore, so to speak. He realized from the beginning that this is out of his element. I'm honestly not sure how you cope."

He looked down at me with his dark eyes, the emotions clearly there, but unreadable. If one could say Tamaki is an open book, one could also say that Kyoya is a book written in Latin or something. All the words are there, but few can understand what they're looking at. "My reasons are my own."

"Very descriptive." I said in sarcasm. It broke the tension, which was my goal, and he smirked a little. The silence returned then, which brought the pain in my leg to the forefront of my mind. The way it moved against the cut was painful now.

"And you?" He asked out of the blue and I looked up at him, meeting the eyes that were already on me.

"And me?"

"How do you cope?"

I looked ahead again and smiled a little gleefully at having a chance to throw something back in his face. "My reasons are my own."

"May I guess then?"

I blinked, a little surprised. "Sure. Knock yourself out."

"I'll start by bringing up that this was initially much harder on you. You're perfectly aware that your father is back home, worried sick about you. That makes you worry, which is why you originally ate very little the first few days. When you managed to push that to the back of your mind, you found your solace in taking care of the ones around you. You don't realize it but part of you likely views the girls as young you have to nurture and look after. Animal instinct if you will."

I looked up at him in amazement. I can't be that easy to read, can I? He's right, I think. He must be. Why else would I coddle the girls? "I-"

He cut me off, not finished guessing. "You realized at the end of the week, when rescue hadn't come, that you were still holding out hope that things would happen the easy way and rescue would come almost right away. That's when nothing you had currently been holding onto helped anymore, which is why you've been determined to keep your mind and your body active. You took the time to make homemade soap, you've been thinking of all sorts of ways to cook the fruit we find. You've even started trying to boil off salt water to harvest the salt for later use. The fact that you can't find solace in caring for the girls anymore has affected the way you treat some of them, Yumi especially. You fight with her quite a bit."

"She's frustrating." I defended. "She's been determined from the beginning to fight us every step of the way. If you want to be mad at any of the girls, target her first."

"You've become almost desperate for something to keep your mind busy besides just survival." He started up again and I gave him an exasperated look. Everything he said was digging at things I had tried to keep under control. Didn't he see that? "Your first idea was starting a herb garden at the base of camp, which failed as soon as Yumi accidentally trampled it. Next, you chose animal spotting. You seem most fascinated with the different breeds of monkey you've managed to see."

"Enough." I said firmly enough that he stopped talking. "Some of that is really personal. I don't need you trying to study me. Most people don't appreciate it."

"Maybe that's how I cope." He spoke up after another few minutes. I had been listening to the sounds around me intently enough that his voice startled me. "Or maybe I cope by taking a position of leadership. Or perhaps I haven't selected the way I'll cope if it takes much longer to get off this island."

"I find it hard to believe that you haven't found your resolve yet. Being the first to sort things out seems to be your forte." I told him honestly.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

"I know so." I said firmly. "It's the kind of person you are. There has to be something that you've been putting your focus into lately that's been helping."

He had a very humorous smile in place. "Perhaps I've chosen a few different things to focus on and hope they help. Maybe there's even a few things I've been considering but haven't acted upon."

That sounded interesting. "Like what?"

His sudden lapse into silence was okay at first. I assumed he was just collecting his thoughts. When he didn't respond for a whole five minutes, I began to get impatient. As I opened my mouth to repeat myself, he jumped in with the answer. "Like try to create stronger structures. We're in a rainforest. The first heavy storm could tear all the tents apart and leave us without shelter."

I had an image in my head of a tree house. "Like a-"

"No, not a tree house." He corrected before the words were out of my mouth. I pouted, which seemed to amuse him further. "Your train of thought was too obvious to miss."

"Then what? Something on ground level would be a little harder to build. The branches of a tree would add structure."

"There would also be the risk of the foundation failing us, causing the entire thing to fall from the tree, which would likely kill us with as large as these trees are. I was thinking of finding a couple of trees with low hanging branches so we could build the structure under them. Having some sort of rock side at the back, for the house to lean against if necessary, would also be ideal. The first structure we attempt to make will likely be less than satisfactory."

"What about building beach huts? Those have worked in the past for some of our country's ancestors."

"We have little knowledge of carpentry. We need something easy to make and strong. The tide alone could destroy the huts."

I grimaced again. "Just throwing out some suggestions. Maybe-" I cut off as a rumble of thunder crackled overhead. Looking up, I saw some darker clouds moving in. "Kyoya senpai..."

"It's going to rain very soon and by the looks of those clouds, it's going to be heavy." He quickly grabbed my wrist and deviated from the path beside the river, taking us deeper into the jungle until a large canopy of trees with thick foliage were overhead. It was around that time that the rain hit. Several droplets came through, hitting us, but not enough to make me duck in further cover.

"That was sudden."

"It's a rainforest, what did you expect? This will only work if the rain isn't accompanied by wind. We should try searching for something other than a tree to get under." He told me before pulling at the wrist he had a hold of again. We hurried through the forest more quickly now, hitting spots where the rain could get us directly.

By the time we found another canopy to hide under, I was shivering. The air around me was so warm but the cold rain combined with the muggy humidity made me feel like I might get sick. "There's nothing around here but trees." I said over the pounding rain. "I'm really worried about everyone at camp? What if this storm takes the tents out, like you said?"

"Hope that it doesn't. Let's try going a little further." He called back to me and started pulling me forward yet again. It took another ten minutes of constant running but we eventually hit a lagoon of sorts, a small body of water with a twelve foot high waterfall constantly filtering it. It looked like the cleanest water I had seen so far. "I have an idea?"

"What idea?" I asked in worry when he began to head right for the water. "Kyoya senpai?"

"Trust me!" He yelled over the rain and the waterfall before getting in the water. "Get on my back!"

"Why?" I was getting panicked. The water was probably cold.

"Haruhi!" He snapped and I quickly did what he said. He locked his arms under my knees and lifted me up until I could wrap my arms around his neck. He started to wade through the water, which began to get deep. I made sounds of discomfort as the cold water reached higher and higher. When it was to his neck, we reached the waterfall. He went to the side of it and began climbing onto a ledge behind it.

"How did you know there would be a ledge?"

"Many waterfalls have one." He let me off his back, allowing me to stand up and shake off as much water as possible. Somehow the water didn't sound as loud from this side. "Are we going to stay on this ledge until the rain stops?"

"No, we're going to stay in there." He pointed behind me and I followed his gaze. I blanched.

"A cave?" I nearly yelled.

"It hardly constitutes as a cave, Haruhi." He said in his normal tone before walking inside the opening. When I actually looked inside, I realized it only indented about four feet and the ceiling was low enough that Kyoya had to slouch. He sat down and did what any rational person would do. He took his shirt off and rung it out. I felt a little envious, not having the same option.

"It's freezing." Was all I could say as I knelt on the ground across from him.

"It'll warm up. The rain is heavy and will trap in heat."

"If there was heat to trap." I said and he gave me a look that spoke volumes against my intelligence.

"It's warmer in here than you realize. You're wearing clothing that was soaked through with cold rain water and the water here. Take this as you will but I recommend you take your clothes off."


	6. Chapter 6

**!I FEEL, FOR THIS CHAPTER, THAT I SHOULD GIVE YOU MY VIEWS ON SOMETHING. I HAVE NOTHING WHATSOEVER AGAINST ANY SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND, IN FACT, ACCEPT ANY KIND OF COUPLE. ALL GOD'S CHILDREN AND ALL COMPLETELY DESERVING OF THE HAPPINESS ANOTHER PERSON CAN PROVIDE. I BRING THIS UP SO A CERTAIN LINE DOESN'T COME OUT AS OFFENSIVE.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OHSHC IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. ENJOY! PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Chapter 6**

Haruhi's POV:

"_Take this as you will but I recommend you take your clothes off."_

I'm sure the look on my face was exactly as I imagined it, a combination of shock and embarrassment. I wasn't stupid. I knew he was right about needing to get out of these wet clothes before I freeze to death. I was cold enough that my entire body was shaking and my teeth were chattering. The spray coming from the waterfall made it even worse. But Kyoya was here. I can't just get naked...

"I'm not telling you to get naked." He said when I hadn't responded, guessing my thoughts correctly again. "Just make sure you don't catch cold. Illness in this situation is a death sentence."

For emphasis, he stood as tall as he could without hitting his head on the roof of the tiny cave and started unbuttoning his pants. Eyes wide, I looked down quickly. Oh my gosh...Oh my gosh! This is not happening! He didn't even look embarrassed.

"Haruhi, do you really think I'll be looking at your body?" He asked when I hadn't looked up from the ground in several minutes. All I could see out of the corner of my eyes was his knees as he sat back down, his discarded pants, socks and shoes. I imagined him left in a pair of boxers or probably boxer briefs, since it's Kyoya after all. He seems like the type to prefer something sensible.

I gaped at the ground. Did I really just think that? Realizing he was waiting for an answer, I finally let myself look up. I did it quickly, doing my best to skip over everything from his feet to his head. It wasn't quick enough. Definitely boxer briefs. "I don't know, would you?"

My question wasn't meant to be funny but he actually looked like he was holding back another smirk. "I'll be honest, I might. Only as much as anyone in my situation would. You may pretend to be a boy but you definitely aren't one."

An image of being thrown onto a bed while Kyoya proceeded to climb on top of me popped into my head and I wanted to kick myself and my stupid thoughts. Why did he have to pose as the bad guy at the beach house last year? Since that's happened, I've relived it in my dreams a few times. That image, combined with the fact that I needed to undress soon, was maddening. Standing up shakily, I put my hands on the hem of my shirt, eyes closed tight.

"Please don't look." It came out as a whisper. Before I could lose my nerve, I lifted my shirt over my head and then my tank top. It took me another minute to get the courage to undo my shorts and let them drop. I removed my socks and shoes and stopped there. I wasn't going to take off any more than that. Sinking down to the ground, I brought my knees in and hugged them, keeping my eyes on the bandage around my leg, about three inches above my knee.

"Any warmer?" He asked, no humor in his tone this time.

It wasn't necessarily warmer. The bite of the cold was gone though and the muggy humidity in the tiny cave was causing me to slowly heat up, just not fast enough for my liking. A gust of wind came in through a gap in the waterfall and I had to start the whole warming process again. I instinctively brought my knees down and inched closer to the warmest thing around me, Kyoya himself.

"I can assure you two things, Haruhi. First, you don't have anything to worry about from me. And second, your lips are turning blue."

I looked up quickly, feeling my lips. "What? Really?"

He looked like he found my flustered attitude comical. "Kyoya?"

He raised an eyebrow, keeping his eyes perfectly level with mine. My tone seemed to interest him. "Yes?"

"When we get back to camp..."

He waited a few seconds to see if I'd continue the thought just yet. "Go on."

"...I'm killing the twins." I barely gave myself a chance to see his smirk before quickly jumping into his arms, caring little how inappropriate it was when I was this cold. He seemed to expect it would happen and wasted no time in wrapping his arms around me before rubbing up and down my arms, trying to create some warmth.

"You're colder than you look." He sounded thoughtful, I think. I couldn't be sure with my heart pounding in my ears. I have never been this embarrassed before in my life. I'm actually in my bra and underwear, hugging a half naked Kyoya for survival warmth. That wasn't nearly enough to stop me from doing just as I was. I was still cold and he was warmer than I've been since before it started raining.

"And how will you kill the twins, exactly?" He asked. His question seemed odd until I realized he was trying to help distract me. "I recommend tampering with their food. You have the opportunity each day."

I smiled wryly. "I was thinking about punching them to death."

He chuckled. The sound was quick and rumbled in his chest. "I highly doubt you could but it would be amusing to watch. I could hold them for you, one at a time. Would you find satisfaction in hitting them both once?"

"Quite a bit." And I meant it. Because of them, Kyoya and I fell off a cliff, got caught in the tide of a rushing river, were soaked by a rainstorm and then forced to cuddle half naked for warmth. I wanted to hit them and they'd deserve it. "It's the least I can do to them for nearly killing us both and then humiliating us."

"I'm really not feeling humiliated to be honest." He said and his face sounded like it was a mere inch above the top of my head. I burrowed in further to his chest, no longer freezing but wanting the warmth to remain.

"I suppose if I were any less boyish, you might actually enjoy this." I joked and he took me by the arms and forced me to lean back a bit. I quickly crossed my arms over my chest, face blazing.

"I did tell you just a short while ago that I do not see you as a boy. As a matter of fact, I'm the only one who's seen every curve you have. How could I possibly see you the same way?"

I opened one eye, risking a glance at his expression. He had his head tilted to the side, a smirk tugging at his pale lips and unmasked eyes waiting, demanding a response. How was I supposed to respond? How could I possibly...

"Kyoya senpai, this conversation is too awkward for me, especially considering the circumstances." I managed to say before quickly looking back down, away from his inquisitive gaze. I chose, instead, to focus on his collarbone, which protruded nearly as much as mine did. He loosened his grip on my arms and allowed me to go back to practically digging myself into his chest.

"You must admit, I've successfully distracted you from the cold. Are you cold anymore?"

I experimentally wriggled my toes, which were pressed against part of his lower leg. "Only a little. Any idea how long the storm will last?"

"It's going strong right now but I suspect it'll only be as strong as the first storm we had while here, a week ago."

"That scared us all half to death." I frowned. "The girls all piled into one of the bigger tents with the rest of us. We all nearly suffocated with them, the chickens and the food supply in the tent with us."

"That storm lasted two hours. By the end of the two hours, all we had to do was tidy up the camp. It was mostly rain with little wind and slight thunder that was never directly overhead."

He made it sound so tiny. I remember that even he looked worried. "You forgot to mention that one of the chickens pooped on Yumi. She spent the entire storm screaming. We also had to hammer down another tarp on the tent we all were in to make sure we didn't all get soaked and to keep it more firmly planted to the ground. All the other tents were almost carried off."

"Considering we all survived with our food source and shelters in tact should be enough to call it a success. That storm is what first made me start considering a more solid structure. This place gives me an idea. A cave, maybe. One large enough that we could fit the tents inside."

"It would make sleeping very uncomfortable unless we built some sort of frame to sit our air mattresses on. Also, any cave large enough to fit all of our supplies inside is either taken by large predators or is underground."

"There are always exceptions, Haruhi. You, of all people, should embrace that. A lot of exceptions have been made for you in the past year." He was getting a little condescending in his tone. "You were accepted into one of the most prestigious schools in the country by scholarship, one that originally was supposed to go to a boy. You also were allowed to join a club who's members are male."

"First off, I didn't originally make that choice to join the club, you all forced me to pay back a debt. Second, what do you mean that scholarship was meant for a boy?"

He blinked a moment before he realized what he said. He didn't look like he was bashful for admitting that I wasn't meant to receive the scholarship. "What I mean is it was Tamaki's father, the Chairman, who created the scholarship. At the time, Tamaki had been looking for fresh recruits for the club and realized the school population was lacking. So he recommended that his father bring in someone from another school."

"So if it was decided all along that a boy would get the scholarship, why did I?" This really had me curious.

"Your test scores." He said it as if it should be very obvious. You scored higher than anyone who took the test. It was so impressive, the Chairman knew he had to give the scholarship to you. Tamaki hadn't been able to see a picture of you when you were selected and your chance encounter with us on your first day is the first time he ever set eyes on you. Or any of us for that matter."

"I can't believe that." I frowned. "You claimed to know I was a girl from the start."

He pinched my cheeks and pulled them around a bit. I tried telling him to cut it out but it came out weird. "That's because you look like a girl. No boy has features this delicate."

"Honey senpai kind of does." I said when he had let go of my face. I rubbed my cheeks, trying to sooth the redness I'm sure was there.

"He looks like a child. You do not. There's a difference."

I pursed my lips at an angle, seeing his point. "I guess so."

"While I'm taking the time to explain things to you, perhaps you can return the favor? I have a few questions."

I looked up in surprise. What could he possibly have to ask me? Doesn't he already claim to know everything? "Um, sure. What do you wanna ask?"

"I want to better understand how you think. First, you decided to not correct anyone when they assumed you were a boy. Why?"

I shrugged. "I didn't mind. I let them assume what they wanted. Plus, the Chairman, the one who gave the scholarship, knew I was a girl, so why did it matter if nobody else did?"

"I suppose I expected your response to be just that." He said a little dryly. "You're very predictable. I don't think I'll ask you anything else if that's the kind of answer you'll be giving."

His response irked me for some reason. "You don't know how I'll respond to everything. I think you'd be surprised if you really knew how I think."

He tilted his head, looking down at me with an eyebrow raised. "Oh? Then enlighten me on something else. The night at the beach house last year, when I attempted to teach you a lesson in your own vulnerability. I remember the look of realization on your face as you realized my real intentions, but before that, you spent a few seconds looking surprised."

At first, I couldn't respond. I was too shocked that he brought it up, and casually too. Finally, I swallowed dryly. "Well, wouldn't you be surprised if you were thrown on a bed by someone threatening to do improper things?"

"What I mean is why weren't you frightened? Isn't fear a common feeling for any girl in that situation, even you?"

He looked baffled now, like this really perplexed him. I even entertained the idea that he's given this a lot more thought than necessary. I had to think about this question for several seconds. I gave the stone wall to the right of his arm a look of deep concentration. "It happened almost an entire year ago. I'm not really sure what I was thinking at the time. All I know is, regardless of what I originally thought your intentions were, I knew you would never go through with it."

"Because I wouldn't get any merits for it, correct? That's what you said."

"Exactly. But you would have had quite a bit to lose. Even you have to realize that."

"Even me? You make me sound dense." He was back to looking slightly frustrated. "What about you? You actually assumed, and still do, that sleeping with you has absolutely no merit at all."

I'm sure hearing that would have made anybody else blush. I found myself growing a little pale and I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why. "What do you mean?"

He seemed to be regretting his words. His own face paled a couple shades and he finally broke our gaze, choosing to look at the waterfall to his left. "Nothing. This rain could continue all night. Why don't you get some sleep."

Any sane person would have listened. He was clearly upset and it was impossible to tell just how much, even with the glasses gone. Apparently, I'm not sane.

"No, tell me. What merits could I possibly have brought you? I'm, as Tamaki senpai would put it, a commoner. I have no true connections to speak of and, on the off chance you actually had the mind to hurt me that way, the entire school would think you're gay and a rapist. Word was bound to get out to Tamaki senpai and he can't keep a secret at all. A simple lesson in my own vulnerability could have turned South of Tamaki senpai had walked in the room a few seconds earlier."

He was looking back at me now. "Don't you think I thought these things out? I would never have even pretended if I thought word would get out. Tamaki is easily silenced."

I felt a sweat drop forming. "That sounds scary coming from you, Kyoya senpai."

He chopped the top of my head lightly with the side of his hand. "What kind of person do you think I am, Haruhi? I meant he would keep the secret once I explained what I was trying to do. He's better at keeping silent than you think. He waited quite a while to confess your fear of thunder, in fact. The others only found out when Hikaru left you in the rain in Karuizawa."

I raised an eyebrow. "You cleverly avoided saying he informed you."

"That's because your father told me about your fear of thunder and your phobia of being locked in a small, constricting space alone, the first time I called him to let him know of your whereabouts. Since the host club, particularly me, would be responsible for you, I thought it only right to know a bit of everything about you, especially your allergies. I expected an allergy like bees, which I hear isn't serious. I didn't expect you to be deathly allergic to mold, to the point inhaling it can kill you."

I grimaced. "When I was almost two, my mom left me with my dad for the day so she could go to work. I was put on a blanket on the floor. When he left to do something real quick. I crawled off the blanket and into the kitchen. There was mold growing on the floor just under the sink, from the water getting down there too often. I ate some and had to be rushed to the hospital. Apparently, my reaction to the mold was so severe that I was deemed fatally allergic. I've had other semi severe reactions to just inhaling it while trying to clean."

"Your father told me this story. I must admit, there's something lacking in your version. Much less theatrical."

I began smiling to myself. I couldn't wait to see my dad again. "That's dad for you. If he wasn't so determined to work at that bar, he would have made a great actress. Now answer the question. I'm not that easily distracted. We've discussed why it would have been a bad idea, now tell me what merits there are."

He looked completely disbelieving. I wondered if I was pushing my luck way too much. Probably. To my surprise, he started smirking. "Very well. But are you prepared for the answer?"

Was this a trick question? "Yes, tell me."

When he brought his hand up to hold my chin between his thumb and index finger, I felt a little uncomfortable. "There are many who would do quite a lot for a chance to be alone with you like this. I never was one. It's both uninteresting and time consuming to stand in a line before a girl who may take years to figure out what she wants. So image how I felt when I heard you had been pushed off a cliff and I actually felt worried."

"But you said you weren't-" He cut me off by taking the same hand that held my chin and snapping it towards my top lip, almost making me bite my tongue. Well, isn't that affective?

When he started speaking again, he chose to continue as if I had never interrupted. "Feeling emotions I have no control over can seriously frustrate me. After quite a bit of thought, I came to the conclusion that it was merely the thought that, if I were to suddenly choose to have interest in you in a carnal nature, my desires wouldn't be met if you were dead.

When I threw you on that bed, yes, I was proving Tamaki's point but my next step was quite flexible, if only you reacted the right way. You called me on it and I was surprised enough to back out entirely. It took until morning, when I had a chance to sleep on everything, to realize that I might just care for you in the same nature as the rest of the hosts. That is to say, I would hate to see your body washed up on the beach after that fall.

A merit of choosing to continue down the path I was making for myself when I had you beneath me would have been the act itself. You're what many would consider attractive in your own right. Another merit would have been finally snapping Tamaki out of this delusion that you're his daughter, as well as make the proper impression that I'm interested in you too by no uncertain terms. So yes, there are plenty of ways it could have backfired on me but at the time, I frankly didn't care. That probably answers a lot of your questions."

I was floored. I had originally expected a simple 'because I wanted to' but got 'you're attractive and I was tempted to assert some delusional claim I think I have on you'. When I found the words, I also found a strong annoyance. I hit his palm, knocking his fingers off my chin. "Kyoya senpai, you're an asshole."

He raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn't show that what I said affected his mood. "I've never been called an asshole, and certainly never expected it to be by you."

"Tamaki senpai's called you a bastard. There isn't much difference." I crossed my arms, half for the cover it gave and the other half to show my lingering frustration with his attitude and way of thinking.

"Are you saying that you don't like for me to think of you as attractive? Or is it that you've grown so accustomed to me pretending that I don't care that it's shocked you to hear my confession?"

"More like I don't believe you. And I don't like any of you guys assuming that you can form a line. I don't want any line formed."

"I can name a few that would be very disappointed to hear that come out of your mouth." He said with a dry smile. "And you best believe that there's a line. About fourteen long counting your guests."

"No, I mean I don't believe you care." I corrected. "You can't be the most emotionally distant person I've ever met, except for Mori senpai, and then expect me to accept this sort of news. Don't get me wrong, senpai, I like having you as my friend but I've never thought the feelings of friendship got through to you. You're reluctant to care about anything sentimental, so It's hard enough to believe that you truly care for Tamaki senpai as much as I know he cares for you. But I know you have something to gain being best friends with the Suoh heir. What about me?"

He gave me another dubious look. "Haruhi Fujioka, you're the silliest girl I've ever met. I'm distant but not made of stone. I value Tamaki's friendship and I value the bond that the host club has brought everyone involved in it. I also value you."

The rain was still heavier than ever outside but I never felt warmer. My face flushed a little. It would be an understatement to say I was pleased. But why? I know that Tamaki cares very much and I appreciate that but never feel almost giddy about it, same with Honey senpai, Mori senpai and the twins, most certainly.

Forgetting temporarily that I was in my underwear, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. He tensed at first before slowly wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "Thank you. I value your friendship too. I like to have level headed people around me that challenge me to think, rather than only do."

When I pulled back, he only loosened his hold on me, not actually taking his arms away. He looked like he was really thinking something through. I tilted my head to the side and he quickly looked my way, taking note of it. "You're wondering what I'm thinking."

It wasn't a question. I nodded. "Yes."

"And I find myself wondering the same about you." He admitted and the smirk was back. At least it meant he likely wasn't frustrated. "Why don't you share your thoughts?"

I scratched my head. "Um...Well, I don't know. I guess I'm just curious about what you're thinking."

He gave a sour smile. "I'm wondering if you'd consider going on a date with me once we leave the island."


End file.
